The Fight against Fear
by theXbeat08
Summary: The climax is starting. Let's hope it works out for Fox and Wolf. As we all know, even the most powerful can still fall.
1. Prologue Chapter 1

Darkness. Simple blackness sits within an isolated room in a remote location. Not a sound, not a ray of light flashes into the empty void.

Suddenly, a florescent light flickers to life. In the shape of a box, an image begins to appear. The image begins to walk, then run, then duck to avoid a speeding bullet. It pulls out a blaster and begins rapid-firing, taking down five opponents. The coast clear, the image is on the move. Though difficult to see, it seems to have a copper tint, and from behind a tail wags.

Suddenly, a hand touches the screen. The image is up close, revealing the marksman is a...fox?

"Yesss..." a harsh, cold voice hisses from the abyss. "You cannot run. You cannot hide. You cannot escape your fate which I bring to you. Your time has come."

"Oh no, oh no. This is baaaad!!" A hysterical frog stomps up and down the main section of a floating ship. It's early, too early for all the screaming. This is proven as an angered avian storms out of his room.

"What the hell, Slippy? What's your goddamn problem??" The bird rubs his tired eyes, his sleep stolen from him. "What can possibly be happening at 1:30 in the morning??"

"Falco! He needs our help!!" Slippy is now close to tears, his shrieking increasing in volume. Falco is fed up with the frog. "Slip, if you're so worried," he says, pointing a blue wing towards the door, "go help him."

"Are you crazy? I'll get killed!"

"Well, since there's nothing you can do, SHUT UP!!" With that, he slams the door in the frog's face.

Meanwhile, the constant hysteria woke up another passenger – Krystal, a blue fox. "Slippy," she sighed. She always tried to be nice to him, but this was too much. "I know you're worried, we all are, but we have to just wait."

From Falco's bedroom came the response, "Pssh...worried? About _him_? He'll never get a scratch from 'em, I'll bet." With that, Krystal retreated to her room with a few final comforting words to Slippy, and after ten minutes he retired to his room as well.

The next morning, Krystal was awakened by the sunlight through her window. Squinting to adjust to the sunlight, her blue irises widened as she remembered last night's episode. _Wonder if he's back?_ she pondered as she wandered into her bathroom. After showering and getting dressed, she went outside. Slippy was still in his room, but she heard voices coming from the kitchen.

"Ah, man, I wish I was there! That sounds like a blast!" Falco's voice boomed. The other voice was quieter; Krystal barely heard it. She tiptoed in and snuck up Falco's buddy he was talking to.

" Hey!" She gave them a tap on the shoulder.

"Ahh!" Their gold fur stood on end, and they turned around to her. Soon, she was face-to-face with bright, emerald eyes, full of confidence, passion, and...surprise. "Krys, you scared me!" he breathed, flustered.

"Fox!" She gave him a big hug, which he returned. "How was your mission?"

"Yeah, sounds like you had a hellalotta more fun than we did," Falco sighed. "Slip was waking us all up again, worried 'bout your hide."

"Oh, that Slip..." Fox shook his head, smiling. "Well, the mission was alright. The usual...escaping bogeys...going to answer the the General...finding his whole place swarming with these freaky thugs-"

"Whoa, wait, what? You got ambushed?" Falco cut in.

"Well, yeah. And the best part was that nobody was around, so I had to do it all by myself." Fox shrugged, as though this kind of thing happens all the time, which it sort of did.

"How many? What were they like?" Krystal curiously asked.

"Oh, I can't remember...they came in packs of four and five, there were like twenty of those...and there were these three huge ones at the end, which really was not fun at all. One even got a scratch on me." He rolled up his sleeve to show a huge gash reaching from his forearm down to his elbow.

"Wow, they sounded pretty menacing." Falco seemed upset, he wished he could have smashed those guys up like Fox got to.

"Yeah, it was weird. They were all like black with red faces, but they sorta looked like...I dunno, they had long faces with beady black eyes, and their bodies looked like they were covered in sludge. They had no feet, it was like they were floating. And they were all really tall, too," He tried to remember all the details.

"Well, ya know, they may not have been _that_ tall," Falco stated, "because you're kinda short." He grinned, but stopped when Fox gave him a look.

"Anyway, I was unable to find the source of where they came from. When I went to go into the General's office, the door was locked. I tried to find help, but nobody could be tracked on the comm channel. Finally, a sergeant came on line and told me they would investigate deeper, and they'd call if the needed help from us."

Just then, the alarm sounded. "Right on time," Fox muttered as he pressed a glowing red button protruding from the wall. A sleek projector came down almost invisibly from a panel in the ceiling, and an image of a rushed, confused husky faced them.

"Starfox Team, this is Command." He saluted, and they returned the action. The barely-conscious Slippy half-walked, half-stumbled into the kitchen and faced the screen. "We need your help. Thanks to your investigation last night, we've realized the General has gone missing. We have searched everywhere, but to no avail. However, our scouters did find a note on the chair in his office. We are sending via hologram to you now." A blinking inbox indicated the note had transmitted successfully. "After reading the note, we need all of you down here right away. We're counting on you." With that, the line disconnected.

Fox clicked the inbox icon, and a message popped up. Silently, Fox, Falco, Krystal and Slippy read along:

_Well, here we are. If you are reading this, your General is more than likely in our hands. He is not our main target, rather, we have another. The General is being used as simply bait, like a worm on a fishing rod. But the true one we're after would never have fallen for our little trap. Exactly why we didn't go for him in the first place. But we do know one thing – when our desired target tries to retrieve the General, we'll be more than ready. Heed closely what I'm about to say, Fox McCloud. You cannot escape what I will send to you. Your time has come._

When everyone finished, they turned to look at Fox. His head was bent, his hands made into fists. He was trembling with fury. "Everyone," he finally said. As he turned to them, they saw the blaze light up in his green eyes.

"Let's rock n' roll."


	2. Chapter 2

The stars blurred as four lightweight aircrafts combed through space. Each was inhabited by a pilot on a mission: save their General, and stop the menace threatening all they have.

As the ships neared their destination, a rocky asteroid field blocked their path. However, they proved to be nothing but an annoyance to the four talented pilots. Fox's Arwing, leading the other three, swerved quickly to avoid an incoming rock. He skillfully did a complicated series of maneuvers, ending in the calm beyond the rocky field. Minutes later, the others appeared.

"Is everyone ready?" Fox asked over the communication channel. First to speak was Falco.

"Yeah, yeah, we're good!" His confidence was over exaggerated in his Brooklyn accent.

"I'm good to go!" Slippy's high-pitched, nasally voice broke through the wireless network, stinging Fox's super-sensitive ears. Krystal, being of the same species, felt the same pain.

"Ow, Slippy, must you scream?" She complained. "I'm all good. Let's go Fox!"

"Okay, everyone, get rea-"

Suddenly, Fox's voice was cut off. Out of the corner of her eye, Krystal saw a pinkish flash of light cut through the core of Fox's ship. She heard him trying to talk, but the static drowned out his words.

"Ha! Was that your leader I just hit? Ooh, too bad, guess my aims been improving." The deep voice that took over the channel sent waves of anger through all the Starfox members.

"Wolf! You son of a-" Falco started in on a rant of anger, but was stopped by Leon, Wolf's wing mate.

"Save your breath bird, or you'll be next!" Leon's maniacal cackle sent another rush of fury through Krystal. How? How could they possibly hit him?

"Good work, Leon, seems our new lasers work fine." Wolf answered Krystal's thoughts. "We really just needed a guinea pig to practice on." The gray lupine laughed in triumph, though it sounded more like a howl.

"Now, Starwolf, let's mo-" Without warning, another flash of light cut through the void of space, this time cutting clean through the Wolfen piloted by none other than Wolf himself.

"What the..." Wolf never got to complete his thought, as the ship was sent down in a downward spiral. The rest of the fliers looked around, but couldn't find the source of the light. The Starwolf members knew it wasn't Starfox, the flash was too powerful, and instead of a green it had a fierce red color.

"Wolf?" Leon seemed confused, as though what happened wasn't completely penetrating his mind.

"He's gone!" Panther, the other Starwolf pilot, growled over the line. "Whoever did this will surely pay!" Meanwhile, Starfox had their own lost member to worry about.

"Fox...He's not responding!" Krystal heard the anguish in Falco's voice. His tone made Krystal's heart speed up even more. Falco only spoke like this when he knew the situation was out of his control.

"Fox!!" Slippy cried, and Krystal heard his voice crack at the final syllable. However, Krystal couldn't speak at all; her voice was gone for the moment. All she could do was silently let tears roll down her face, and pray that wherever Fox was, he knew she would never forget him. Nobody would.

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"Hehe...that wolf was annoying anyway." The voice in the darkness echoed slightly, his words dripping with ecstasy. Fox, ambushed with his biggest rival? Maybe this job wouldn't be as difficult as once assumed...

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**I know, this story is leading to...well, nowhere. R/Rs would be awesome, so if I get way bored again and do another story, it can be better. Mr. Black Guy is based on a nightmare I once had, by the way. More to come...hehe...**


	3. Chapter 3

Smoke blew through the mild air, curling above the oddly-shaped trees. The leaves created an almost rectangular look from above, bearing yellow fruits. The source of the smoke came from a small aircraft, it's nose buried into the soft soil. There was a hole in the roof of the ship, leading to the underbelly. The laser had missed the pilot's head by barely an inch.

The pilot himself had been bracing himself for the crash, and was staying in the ship until he regained enough strength to move. Upon landing, the windshield had broken, and shards of glass stuck to the pilot's fur. The pain had settled to a minor throbbing, and the fox decided he had to get out in order to survive.

As he moved from the cockpit, a pain seared through his left arm. He noticed a huge glass piece wedging out from it. The vulpine gripped the shard, closed his eyes, and pulled. The pain opened his eyes wide and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He couldn't risk anyone finding him before they saw smoke.

He limped to the back of the ship, where an emergency kit barely lay intact. He opened it and used a gauze to wrap up his arm. He also used a cloth to soak up the blood as best he could. Exhausted, he slid to the ground, leaning against the Arwing.

What had happened left him speechless. He barely fathomed the thought in his mind. Just like that, his mission was gone. His team, his duty...gone. And who had robbed it from him? Starwolf. The thought burned within him, the fire sweeping into his eyes. He couldn't see straight, what was the point? He could just stay here until he died...

Fox closed his eyes a moment, then reopened them. Suicide was out of the question; he was above that. He needed to survive, so maybe he could just gain his strength back, then...

Out of nowhere, a quick flash of something fell through the sky, landing what looked like 200 feet away from Fox. Soon, a similar black smoke cloud formed. He heard a voice, a sound like metal getting crushed, and several strange-looking birds flying away, seeming to have been disturbed by something. Fox struggled to his feet, took several deep breaths, and slowly advanced towards the smoke.

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Below, the ground came up close. The dirt rolled beneath his shoes as he landed slowly. His parachute had barely helped him at all; if anything, it helped him avoid the deathtrap that used to be his ship.

Ejecting at the final moment had proven to be smarter than waiting around and plunging into the dirt.He probably would have died had he stayed in.

But that didn't mean he was alright. Wolf tore the parachute off his back in anger. His whole plan had fallen to pieces! His crew was gone, and his one biggest accomplishment has been executed, only to end with him freefalling out of space! Pissed, he kicked the side of ship so roughly, the side split.

"DAMN!" He yelled, causing some dumb-looking pigeons to fly off. _Good riddence_, he thought. _Now, where the hell am I? Am I ever gonna get back to my crew? I'm gonna be alone forever..._ The one thought that brought him anything close to comfort was that his nemesis, Fox McCloud, had perished at his hands.

Or so he thought...

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**I know, I know...I have no life...actually, I do, but this is so much fun!**


	4. Chapter 4

As he neared, Fox heard a voice he could understand. Finally, someone he may be able to communicate with! However, as he grew closer still, his fur stood on end. He recognized the voice. He'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Quietly, he ducked behind some bushes and peaked out through its multicolored leaves. Just as he suspected; there was Wolf, treating his ship like a punching bag. What the hell was he doing here?

Fox, trying to remain unnoticed, slowly moved back. Unfortunately, his tail had gotten intertwined with a twig. The twig snapped, and his hidden cover was blown.

"What was that?" Wolf yelled, obviously frustrated. "Show yourself!"

_Ah, shit,_ Fox thought. _He's on a wild rampage. I'm supposed to be dead. Well, he'll make sure that happens...well, I won't go without a fight._ Slowly. Fox stood.

Wolf is speechless for a second, then his face twists into an angry scowl. "You! You were supposed to die!" He stalks closer to Fox. "Well, you've chosen to deal with me on the wrong day."

Fox had almost no chance to think, as Wolf swept his arm towards him, claws and fangs bared. Instinctively, Fox ducked out of the way, then grabbed onto a nearby branch and swung himself over. His sudden momentum landed him behind Wolf. The two turned and faced each other.

Wolf made a clicking noise with his tongue. "Well, Fox, looks like it's just you and me. And you know what I've always told you..." His eyes blazed, and his next words almost sounded more like a roar, "I'd be the one who'll take you down."

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Falco, Slippy, and Krystal solemnly returned to the Great Fox II. Without their leader, they grew numb with sadness. However, they knew one thing – Fox's one goal in life was to keep their world at peace. As a final wish, they swore to him that they would carry on what he started.

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Fox was in no mood or condition to fight. Not yet. He knew Wolf was stronger than he was, his attacks were quick, and that he appeared to have taken no damage from crashes. However, if there was one thing Fox knew about Wolf, it was that the more he evaded, the angrier the lupine got.

Remembering this, Fox swerved, ducked, and flipped away from every single hit Wolf tried to get on him. The frustrated wolf started growing clumsier with his attacks, growing tired from using so much energy. Realizing he was slowing, Wolf stopped a moment. Fox hadn't even tried to hit him.

"C'mon, pup, you gotta do something. You're ruining it!" He roared at the vulpine, who now was in a tree, thinking. He had come to a decision, but wanted Wolf a little bruised first.

Silently, Fox stood on the branch, looking down at Wolf. He was going to have a little fun. "Fine, then," he finally said. "Come and get me."

Wolf knew Fox would probably try to get away, so he tried a new tactic. He grabbed a stick of the ground and swatted at the fox's legs, trying to trip him. Instead, Fox jumped into the air, flipped, and landed behind Wolf. As the wolf turned around, Fox surprised him by punching him in the face. A surprised Wolf fell back, and Fox continued pummeling him. After a barrage and punches and kicks, as promised, Wolf was covered in black and blue.

"Since that's over..." Fox grabbed Wolf's collar. "You gotta listen to me."

Wolf growled in his face, "Bite me." He then broke free of Fox's grasp and slammed into him with his side, sending the fox flying. Landing hard, the fox stood, and Wolf dashed forward to continue. However, Fox caught him with a knee into Wolf's gut. The lupine gasped, caught off-guard, and Fox tripped him. Then, Fox jumped on Wolf and pinned down his arms. Wolf tried to break free, but Fox had wrapped his tail around Wolf's legs, leaving him stuck.

"Look, Wolf, if you and I wanna even survive here, we gotta stop fighting and work together." Fox tried to compromise with the stubborn wolf.

Wolf spit in Fox's face in response. "Why the hell would I wanna work with-"

Suddenly, Wolf was cut off by a rush of pain. Fox took his claws out, which he rarely ever did, and was digging into Wolf's skin. As Wolf wriggled in pain, Fox leaned towards him. The purple in Wolf's eyes were lined up with Fox's green ones. "Don't," the vulpine said in a fierce whisper, digging his claws deeper and causing Wolf to cry in a higher pitch, "try me."

Wolf glared back, but didn't respond. He wanted Fox off him, for he was starting to lose feeling in his arms. "Why don't you ever use those?" he finally asked.

Fox's simple response was, "They make things messy."

With that, Fox took his claws out of Wolf's arms, but didn't put them away. Just in case. "Now, can I trust you?"

Wolf thought a moment, about his pros and cons. _I could just have him help me survive, _he finally decided, _then leave on my own_. "Fine, Fox." He glared deep into the vulpine's eyes. "But remember one thing: watch your back, you never know I may do..."

"Fine, Wolf. As long as you remember one thing for me as well." Fox dug his claws lightly into Wolf's wrists. "Don't underestimate me."

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**Yeah, I was feeling way violent when I hit the fight scene. Also, I'm tired, so I'll probably redo this one when I'm...you know, awake. Peace.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah, I know it's been awhile, but life's been hell, so whatever. Enjoy!**

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Pacing up and down the hull of the ship, Slippy's face stared down, a blank look on his face. For days, the passengers of the Great Fox have waited for a transmission signal, a sign that their leader and friend was still alive. But so far, none had come.

Falco sat in a chair in the living room, staring out at the clusters of stars. Usually the sight of space lit up their faces, but now it was just a sad memory. The stars had been Fox's favorite sight, just looking at them had put him under a trance.

Sighing, the bird rose. "Slip, c'mon, we gotta hit the beds." Slippy stood still, pausing his constant shuffling for only a moment.

"But...but I can't sleep." Slippy shuddered and looked up at the avian, his eyes bloodshot. "I haven't in days. I just...just...can't stop thinking...about-" Slippy was cut off by Falco, slicing the air with his wing.

"I know, Slip. But ya gotta try and hold on. Not just for me, but for Peppy, the general..." He paused and walked over to Krystal's door down the hall. Leaning against it, he heard sniffling. It had been going on for 76 hours straight.

"...for Krystal. Please, Slip, you gotta hold on."

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Fox and Wolf wandered aimlessly through the thick of the woods, hopelessly lost. Fox continuously tapped his wrist communicator, hoping it would spring to life, but to no avail. Wolf was getting angrier and angrier as nothing came to them, and after awhile he got so fed up he punched a nearby boulder.

Fox jumped at the surprising sound behind him. He turned to see Wolf breathing heavily, his paw dripping with blood. The boulder had a fist-shaped crater in it. "What the hell, Wolf?"

"Pup, I can't do this anymore! There's gotta be another way!"

Fox gritted his teeth. He hated Wolf's little taunting pet name for him. "Well, Wolf," he sighed, "what do you suppose we do?"

"I...I don't know." The lupine shook his head. "Maybe..."

He was interrupted by a vibrating from the ground. Through the row of trees opposite the space animas emerged about two hundred of the red-faced beings Fox had been ambushed by before. He remembered them clearly.

"Damn..." he said under his breath, so only Wolf could hear.

"You've seen these before?" Fox simply nodded, looking at the ground. He remembered having to fight off these thugs, and there had been less of them before. About fifty towered above the rest. "Well, what should we do?"

Fox's mind raced. These guys wouldn't let up. If he was on a mission, he'd have to go easy, in case one of them had information. But his days of missions were over. Now, his only mission was to survive and get out, and the creatures just stood in the way. No holding back.

He looked up, wearing a smirk unfamiliar to Wolf. "Kill them."

Wolf looked at him a second, wondering what was going on with Fox. Whatever it was, it made him even more lethal – and Wolf was enjoying it. He chuckled. '"With pleasure."

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**Ooh, slight hanger there. So, your choices are to imagine any type of punishment these two dish out, or** **wait for the next chapter (It'll come soon, promise!) Later!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! Alright, this chapter took some time but it's done. R/R!**

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Given his new orders, Wolf eagerly ran to the enemy hoarde. He looked at them a second - they were seriously nasty-looking. _Wonder where Fox has seen these? _As he continued to stare, one of them suddenly struck out at him, its black hand formed into a fist.

Wolf ducked, then grabbed the arm. As the creature struggled, Wolf kicked it in the back of the head. It fell to the ground, knocked out. Another came out, but Wolf quickly tripped it. As it fell to the ground, Wolf jumped on it, landing on the shoulders of a taller one. He leaped into the air, grabbed the taller creature's shoulders, and collided into its back. It collapsed onto the smaller one Wolf had tripped.

Wolf then turned around and saw two creatures run at him. He punched the first one in the face and knocked him out, but left himself open to the other. As he closed his eyes and braced himself for impact, he heard it suddenly fall to the ground. He opened his eyes and saw the being on the ground, a white ooze dripping from its cheek. Fox was crouching to the ground beside him. He had kicked the creature in the face before it got to Wolf.

"Fox-" Wolf started, but Fox cut him off.

"Wolf, hold still." Wolf did as he was told, and Fox grabbed him by the shoulders. He vaulted over Wolf, striking the two enemies nearing Wolf from behind.

It was then Wolf realized Fox was trying to help. They only knew three things: that there was an enemy to defeat, they couldn't do it alone, and both had to survive. For the time being, their rivalry was lifted. "Enemies surrounding!" Wolf called out, striking one of them in the chest with his boot.

"Okay, try standing still just a little longer." From behind, Fox grasped Wolf's shoulders. He pulled himself up and spun his lower body around Wolf's head, his arms still on Wolf. Adjusting his weight onto one arm, he spun himself around in circles, using Wolf like a gymnast would use a horse. Fox's calculations had been correct; all of the enemies were met with Fox's foot hitting them in the face. After the circle of menacing creatures that surrounded them fell apart, Fox flipped off Wolf's shoulders, landing directly in front of the stunned lupine.

Wolf stared at him a second, shocked. "Where'd you learn to do that?" He'd never seen anybody fight like that before.

Fox shrugged. "Taught myself, I guess. C'mon, let's take these guys out!"

The two fought their way through the horde of enemies. If the enemies could talk, they would have pointed out that the two complimented each other so well that they looked like a fierce storm of punches and kicks; a blurry mix of gray and brown.

Meanwhile, Fox and Wolf were truly having the time of their lives. Together, nothing could beat them.

"Fox, get down!" Wolf would yell. As Fox ducked, Wolf would send a fierce fist into the neck of the opposing foe.

"Wolf, on your left!" Wolf would veer right and Fox would spin into a furious sidekick, knocking the enemy out cold.

After a long time of beatings, the two realized one was left. They were still riding high on their victory over the large group of foes; it hardly mattered they had to crane their necks at a straight angle to see the face of the creature. Wolf moved forward to figure out how strong the towering being was, while Fox held back, curious.

Wolf lunged at the creature, his arm reared back. About a foot away from the enemy, however, he was suddenly flung back by a strong shock. He landed about two meters away, flying past Fox and slamming into a trunk of a tree.

Fox had seen what had happened. When Wolf had gotten too close, a shield had formed around the legs and upper body of the beast. Strangely, the shield didn't cover the beast fully; he was exposed at his head. However, Fox realized that the creature didn't have to worry about its head – nothing around reached it. The highest tree was the one Wolf had slammed into; it reached up to the beast's neck. After all, the beast was about 15 feet tall.

Wolf stumbled to his feet, holding his head. "God damn it..." he mumbled. After a second, he shook it off. "What the hell?" Anger blazed in Wolf's purple irises. He sprinted towards the monster, his heart set on revenge. However, Fox stepped in front of him. "MOVE!" Wolf commanded, but Fox refused to listen.

The two collided. Fox held his arms out to stop Wolf, but the force pushed him back about a foot or two. "Calm DOWN!" Fox yelled, causing Wolf to simply stop and blink. "You can't just run at it! It has a shield!"

Muttering, Wolf pulled back. Fox explained his weak point – his head, and that it was practically impossible to reach. Wolf thought a bit, looking up. He saw the creature glaring at them, waiting for them to attack again. Wolf knew its mass probably took up a lot of energy just to hold it up; it probably wouldn't want to waste any energy and instead wait for them to attack first. He then spotted the tree Fox had seen earlier, and the gears began moving in his mind. "Fox," he spoke, his voice so determined it surprised even him, "I've got an idea."

He walked to the tree he'd collided against just a moment before. "Can you climb that?" Fox nodded. "Alright, follow me." Fox was confused, but having no ideas of his own, decided to follow the lupine. The two climbed as high as they possibly could. The two reached the highest branch that could support them both; they stared straight at the creature's neck.

"Okay, here's what we do. I'll go to the end of the branch, then you'll run forward. Land on my hands; I'll launch you into the air. Hopefully, you're light enough to catch some wind. Aim for anywhere on the face, otherwise there'll be no point. You'll have to extend your claws for this part. When you reach him, you have to use your claws to latch onto him. Then, try to find a way to deactivate his shield; I think I see a blinking light behind his left ear. From there, this will get relatively easier. You follow, Pup?"

Wolf turned to see Fox deep in concentration, playing the plan through in his mind. Finally, he looked Wolf in the eye. "It's crazy. But it just might work."

"Alright then." Wolf walked out as far as the branch could hold him comfortably, and kneeled to the ground, hands clasped together. "Go!"  
Fox sprinted forward, unaware of the branch trembling beneath him. He jumped, landing on Wolf's paws. Wolf grunted and shot Fox upward. The result was far unexpected – Fox flew into the air, reaching his maximum height three feet above the beast's head. _Heh, let's do this,_ Fox grinned as he spun himself upside-down and extended his claws.

Now, instead of his back to the tree, he faced it. At the back of the enemy's skull, Fox dug his claws into the side. He felt them sink in a good few inches deep, and the foe let out a strange roar of pain. Fox slid down the side of the monster's head, landing on top of its ear. He saw a bleeping pink device behind it. Grabbing onto the top area of the ear, Fox lowered himself to the device. Beside it, he dug one of his claws in to hold himself, resulting in another scream from the monster. He examined the device, then pounded onto it with his fist as hard as he could. Eventually, the blinking stopped, and Fox scraped it off the monster with his claws.

Fox suddenly remembered one of his old combat lessons from the academy – applying pressure behind the ear at the precise spot caused the opponent to immediately black out. Fox lifted himself onto the ear once again and created a huge gash behind the monster. He felt the nerves of the beast tense up. Fox quickly climbed to the direct back of its head and dug in for his life. The creature began to sway, then fell face-first towards the ground. Fox's eyes widened – he was headed towards Wolf's tree.

"Wolf, jump!" Fox yelled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of gray shoot out from the tree; he saw Wolf land on the ground with a thud. He ran out of the way as the creature slammed into the tree. The tree didn't fall, but it swayed dangerously. The creature, with Fox on top, then collided to the ground. Fox pulled his claws out of the monster. He made a disgusted face at his claws, which were coated in a thick white ooze. "Yuck...I hate using these..."

"Fox, move!" Wolf called out. He was behind the cracked trunk of the tree, still swaying. Fox rolled out of the way as Wolf cut the tree with his claws. The tree landed on the neck of the monster with a thud, breaking its neck. Fox hurried to the foe's side, feeling for a pulse. He finally found it just as it thudded two slow times, then stopped.

Fox slowly returned to a standing position. He looked at Wolf, who was staring him down with a questioning glance. Fox sighed, grinning. "I need a break."

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**Whoa, this took forever. Some of the fighting makes absolutely no sense, I know. Sorry that the rest of StarFox isn't in it, but they will be in the next chapter, along with possibly StarWolf. As for these two...well, we'll see. Later!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know I've been updating super-quick lately, but I have off from school and have no life...jk, but seriously, I wanna get this done. I've had like tons of ideas and crap and don't have much time to get them out, so I'm gonna update a lot the next few days probably. Anyways...enjoy! R/R!**

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In a black room within a remote location, a cloaked figure watches his precious followers fall at the paws of two "rivals" who had joined forces.

"No!" He thumped a clawed fist down on his control panel in agony. "Why? How do I stop them...?" He pondered a moment, then sighed. "Fine. If they want to play hard, then I'll give 'em what I've got."

The figure pointed to a dark corner, where only two gleams of green and purple could be seen. "Give them 'till nightfall, then set out. We want them well-rested. Go." A slit of light crawls through the room, and two shadowy figures skulk through the crack. The light withdraws, and the figure turns his attention to the two stranded fighters. "Soon..."

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"No, sir, we haven't heard from them."

"Well, it's been two days. We need to get a plan into action."

Falco nodded at the familiar hare. "Yeah, Peppy, except we have no idea where he is. For all we know, he could have gotten stranded with Wolf, and..." Falco trailed off, worried.

General Peppy nodded. "Yes, that possibility exists. Or he could be alive. Either way, we will try our best to find them. We can't send a team out yet – the sun is starting to set. But as soon as possible, we'll go. Peppy out."

Falco stared at the blank screen, hoping the general had been correct. There wasn't any room in his heart to think of anything worse.

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Wolf sat against a boulder, arms crossed, staring into space. He was tired from fighting the creepy foes, and wished he could find a way home. Soon, he decided, he'd need to get food.

He turned to look at Fox, standing against a tree trunk, staring off much like Wolf was. Both were thinking the same thing: if they could trust the other.

Fox sighed, shaking his head. Why should he trust Wolf? After all, if it weren't for Wolf he'd never be stuck here. On the other hand, they had worked well together against the bogeys. Fox pondered, then decided that for the time being the two would just have to put up with each other.

A similar thought crossed Wolf's mind. _Sure, he may be a rival, but that fox can put up one hell of a fight, when really ticked. Wonder what set him off? _Curiously, he called the the fox, "Hey, pup."

Fox gritted his teeth, then turned to the wolf. No matter who said it, he still hated that nickname. "Yeah?"

"When we were fighting off those freaks, and when we first...erm...met up, your fighting techniques were different. More lethal, less merciful. Some of those attacks of yours...you're the last one I'd expect to fight like that. Why'd you do it now?"

Fox looked at the ground, asking himself the same question. "I dunno," he finally answered. "I guess since I didn't have to keep anyone for information, and to survive, certain measures are necessary. They all had to go." Wolf wasn't completely satisfied with that response.

"Yeah, well, that doesn't explain why you almost made me lose feelings in my arms. I feel like there's more to it. Were you...scared? You're always calm, you must feel fear at some point."

Fox chuckled to himself, then turned to Wolf head-on. "Honestly? I was scared. Rare feeling for me, but knowing I couldn't reach anyone, had no weaponry...I felt powerless. Then, when I found out you were here, I wanted to do everything I could to live." Wolf nodded.

"Everyone feels fear at some point, Fox. It'll happen. Just remember that there's always a way to overcome it."

Fox looked at the Wolf, surprised at how deep his advice had sunk in. "You're right, Wolf. Thank you."

Wolf just nodded. However, when Fox turned away, Wolf opened his mouth once again. "Hey, Fox...when we were fighting off those baddies, there was something you did that took down a whole bunch of surrounding guys. How did you do that?"

"It took a lot of practice. It takes balance and precision."

"Do you think...you could teach me?"

Fox's eyes widened. Wolf, asking for help? From him? He tried to think of a reason Wolf could use this against him, but couldn't. Truthfully, Wolf was just curious and wanted to try it.

"Alright, fine." The two wandered around until they found a low branch, reaching up to about Wolf's shoulders. Fox lifted himself onto it, trying to determine if it could hold both he and Wolf's weight. Satisfied, Fox jumped to the ground.

"The key is in the arms. You have to be able to support yourself with one arm at times. Use both arms to swing yourself around in a half circle, then keep circling, taking one of your arms off and letting yourself spin with your lower body. Keep rotating arms every time you do a half-circle, and you'll pick up a lot of momentum. Soon, you'll be going quickly – it'll just come to you."

Fox pulled himself up once again and demonstrated. Wolf watched in barely-disguised awe as Fox spun himself faster and faster. After about five rotations, he was switching arms in a frenzy. He resembled a brown blur, spiraling faster and faster. Wolf quickly lost track of rotations from his point of view – Fox was moving too quickly. When Fox had done thirty rotations, he swung both his legs over the branch, propelling himself upward. He flipped and landed behind a stunned Wolf. He crossed his arms and gave a slightly cocky smile. "And that's how you do it."

"Whoa." Wolf looked from Fox to the branch, and back again. "Where'd you learn that?"

"Taught myself, I told you. I was thinking up new combat ideas, and came up with this. I spent about three days straight in the gym, working on how to perfect it. It usually works pretty well."

Wolf looked back at the branch. "I'm gonna try it."

"Careful, Wolf. Remember how I told you." Wolf pulled himself up, supporting himself with his arms. Recalling Fox's words, he spun himself around. He was surprised to see himself swing around. He let go with one arm, but lost his grip and crashed to the ground.

"Damn..." Wolf blinked a few times, and saw Fox standing above him.

"Want me to do it again?" The vulpine looked at him curiously.

"Uh...well...maybe that'd be a good idea." Wolf answered, sitting up. Fox shrugged, and repeated the process. He did it slower with less rotations, so Wolf could see. After seeing it again, a determined Wolf decided to have another go.

This continued until the last of the sky's light was beginning to fade. After Wolf had attempted 30 times – and Fox had demonstrated a total of 40 – Wolf, though rusty, was able to pull it off. Soon, Wolf had enough. Exhausted and proud of himself, he slid to the ground. Fox stayed standing, not really tired. The fox hardly ever got tired.

"That was good, Wolf. You're really catching on." He gave the lupine a small grin, which Wolf weakly returned.

"I hope so, Fox. Thank you."

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**Well, not much accomplished there, but this will definitely pick up in a few chapters. Remember those two figures. AND we have StarWolf in the next chapter!!! Until then...later! R/R (again)!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so this story may be in a mad rush because I JUST had an idea for it and may get it out too quickly. If it's really bad let me know and I'll rewrite it. Enjoy!**

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Footsteps echoed through the halls of the ship. A black figure in a flight suit sat down on a couch in the main room. He took a long look around the spacecraft. In two days, he and his chamelion wing-mate were packing their things and leaving.

"So sad it all had to go down like this," the ebony feline spoke to his friend, Leon.

"Yes," the other replied in a raspy voice, "but we can't do anything about it, Panther. Wolf is gone, and without him there can be no Starwolf."

A beep broke through the immediate silence that followed. "Transmittion request from the Great Fox," a robotic voice stated. Leon and Panther looked at each other, wondering if they should allow their one-time rivals on the communication channel. But, now that they were no longer Starwolf, their rivalry must have disbanded. Panther clicked the "accept" button on the control panel to his right. An image of a blue avian, a cerulian vixen, and a lime amphibian faced them.

"Uh, hey guys..." the bird stated.

"Do you need something? We have to go pack." Leon cut in coldly. Panther looked at him with a glance.

"What he means is, do you need any assistance? Don't mind him, he's terrible with manners." Leon glared at him, and Panther smirked back.

"Look, do you guys have any track of Wolf? We can't find Fox..." Krystal's worry was etched into her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying over the lost vulpine.

"Ah, not to worry, Krystal. You will find him. But unfortunately, we have no word from our leader either. In fact, in a couple of days Leon and I are going to leave this ship and find our own way."

"Well, we're not giving up. And if you don't want to either, will you help us look for them? Pepper is sending out a team to find them, and we really would need all the help we can get." Krystal asked, almost pleaded, with them. Both Starwolf members thought it over, discussed, then Panther spoke.

"Alright. If you're holding out for the sake of your leader, we will to."

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Night had fallen upon the two lost pilots. Wolf had fallen asleep quickly, only ten minutes after he finished practicing his new technique he'd learned from Fox. However, the other canine had stayed awake longer. All his life, Fox had never been a good sleeper. However, after lying awake looking at the twinkling stars, he finally drifted off.

Wolf woke up sometime that night. He'd had a nightmare, or more of a flashback. These kinds of memories woke him in the dead of night, leaving him cold, sweat sticking to his fur. Wolf shook his head. A dream. That's all it was – a dream.

A rustling from the bushes startled the lupine. He reached for his weapon, only to find he had none on him, which he'd forgotten. Not a sound whispered from his shows as he stealthily approached the bushes.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Wolf commanded in a loud whisper, not wanting to wake up Fox.

In the pale moonlight, a figure stepped out before Wolf. The light gave them an eerie glimmer. He was bigger than Wolf, with black slashes running down his arms and legs, and a huge black patch over his right eye. Besides that, the two looked oddly similar. The figure grinned, it's fangs curved into a sinister smile. It's matching purple eyes struck fear into Wolf. "No...it can't be."

"But it is, Wolf." The figure spoke, abarely louder than a whisper. His voice also resembled Wolf's: sharp, rough, and cold. "It's me."

"No. No, no no!" Wolf 's voice grew louder, fear trembling from deep within it. He slowly stepped back, trying to get away. The opposite Wolf followed, moving as though he were a shadow, mirroring Wolf's every move.

Wolf's fearful words aroused Fox. As his eyes adjusted to the low light, he saw that Wolf wasn't where he had been. He looked up and saw two figures moving in the shadows; one seemed to try and get away from the other. Silently, he neared, and recognized Wolf. The opponent moving towards him looked like Wolf, except bigger with weird black marks. He watched as Wolf continued to back away. _Why isn't he fighting back?_ Fox wondered. His eyes widened as Wolf reached the side of a cliff, trapped. The larger Wolf moved closer, pushing him into the rocky wall behind him.

Without thinking, Fox lunged for the larger wolf. Without the foe catching on, he leaped at the wall, pushing off the side. His momentum gave him a clean sweep at the offender. His fist solidly connected with the side of the wolf's muzzle, knocking him to the ground.

The large wolf blinked, trying to keep conscious. Fox landed beside the wolf. He glared into their violet eyes, fangs bared. "Get up and go. Now."

The wolf opened its mouth to protest, but only a cry of pain escaped. Fox had kicked him in the side. "Now!" he barked his order in a voice Wolf hardly recognized. He watched in amazement as the larger wolf hurried to its feet. He couldn't belive Fox actually had control over the other wolf.

The opponent glared at Wolf, sending fresh waves of terror down his spine. "Look out, Wolf. I'll be back." He took a step towards the shaking lupine, but a figure edged between them. Fox looked up at him, arms crossed, forcing the larger wolf to look into his green eyes. "You have three seconds." The wolf stared back at the fox, wondering how seriously he should take the threat. Between his aching face and side, and the murderous look the fox was digging into him, he figured retreat was probably a good answer.

"One." Fox interrupted his thoughts. He uncrossed his arms, balling his hands into fists. Fire glowed in his eyes.

The larger wolf, eyes widening slightly, turned and walked away. A pale strip of yellowed light cut through the sky. As his well-trained eyes followed the silhouette, Fox's thoughts wandered towards Wolf. The normally calm, collected lupine had seemed so scared by this opponent he almost fainted.

"Uh, Wolf, what was wrong with you?"

"That...that wolf...I..." Wolf stammered, at a loss for words. He broke out into a sweat, shaking violently.

"Wolf, calm down. Sit. Breathe" Fox managed to get the wolf to sit down. "Why are you so freaked out by him?"

"Fear...I..." Wolf, at the moment, was unable to speak in full sentences. The absence of his usual quick comebacks and determined remarks left Fox confused and dumbfounded. He had no idea there was someone who could reduce Wolf into such a troubled, fearful mess.

"Who was he?" Fox asked.

"My...my father."

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**I know, that hanger didn't really make sense. I don't want to write a whole bio on Wolf's dad, so let's just say his name's all that's important. Okay, later!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so for this chapter I was really torn between just making it about Wolf or moving on with the story, so I'm not sure if the route I took was the right one. Well, we'll see. Enjoy, and R/R!**

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It was dark once again. On the illuminated screen, Wolf's encounter with the shadowy figure pixelated before the delighted eyes of the cloaked adversary. A small grin curled onto his unseen face.

"Excellent. With that wolf out of the way, McCloud will have no choice but to surrender..."

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Wolf shivered. He'd never been this cold in his life. But where he was, the temperature was mild – not at all near the freezing temperature Wolf felt. He wasn't frozen from the outside. He was frozen by fear.

Kneeling beside him, Fox looked on. _Unbelievable. I can't believe the petrified heap I'm looking at is really Wolf O'Donnell_, he thought with bewilderment. Where did Wolf's father come from? Why did he go to attack his son? And why was Wolf so afraid?

"Wolf...I don't understand..." Wolf's heartbeat quickened. "Deep breaths. Easy," Fox spoke soothingly, like he was dealing with a stray dog or an orphaned child. "Can you try to explain what just happened?" Wolf shook his head. His gaze was blank; he was in the middle of a flashback. His nightmare.

"_Mom!" A young Wolf called out to his mother. Her silver-and-white fur glistened in the sunlight, matching the coloring of his own. "Look what I can do!" He climbed up the sturdy, old oak tree in his front yard, His mother watched on happily._

"_Great job Wolf! But be careful up th-" She was interrupted by the front door slamming. Wolf's father strode down the steps, off to work. Wolf watched on silently as his dad approached his mom, his black flight suit reflecting the sunlight. Wolf only heard hushed whispers exchange between the canines, but soon his mother stepped back._

"_No, this can't be happening. Blake, how...how could you?" His mother sounded enraged, but also Wolf sensed fear from deep within it._

"_Why won't you accept it, Luce? I promised I'd stop, it's just...to hard." Ashamed, Blake O'Donnell looked at the ground. Wolf didn't understand what they were talking about._

"_So hard? Blake, think about what kind of example you're setting for Wolf. Imagine what he'd think when he finds out his father does-" _

_  
In a rush, Blake pulled Luce against him. He put a paw over her open mouth. "Shut up! Nobody can hear you!"_

_Struggling, she broke free of his grasp. "I don't care, Blake! I'm going to the police!" She tried to get away, but the larger wolf was too quick. Grabbing her, he pulled her into their work shed, then shut the door. At first, Wolf heard nothing, but then the crack of a gun echoed through the tranquil air. _

_A few minutes later, Blake emerged, covered in blood. He yelled at Wolf, "Go! Get out of here! Nobody wants you, and nobody will! Nobody ever did, except her! And now she's dead! So GO!"_

_And Wolf went._

Wolf's breathing slowed to normal. He opened his eyes. The sun had risen; he had fallen asleep. He turned to the left and saw Fox sitting beside him, giving him a small grin. The vulpine's eyes were bloodshot, but he had refused to fall asleep in case Wolf woke up.

"Feel better?" The younger canine asked. Wolf nodded. "Alright. Are you up to telling me who that was?"

Wolf looked at the ground. "He...was my father."

Fox nodded. "And why are you so scared of him?"

Wolf shook his head. "When I was eight...he killed my mother."

Tears glistened in his eyes. "I loved her, Fox. I loved her more than anything. She always kept me going, told me there was nothing I couldn't do. Then, one day, I had just shown her that I could climb a tree. From that tree, I watched my dad come outside. They got into a big argument, and my mom threatened to call the police. Then, he dragged her into our shed...and shot her. Then he told me to run away. That nobody ever cared for me except her, and that nobody...nobody ever will. So, I left."

Fox closed his eyes, turned his head upward, and faced the sky. He'd had a feeling Wolf's childhood hadn't been wonderful, but he'd had no idea it was this bad.

"I'm sorry, Wolf." He looked over at the lupine, who returned the glance through his tears. "Is that why you were so afraid?"

"Yeah, that, and the fact that he died about five years ago." Wolf shuddered. Fox's eyes widened.

"So...was he a ghost? But...that's impossible! I never would have hit him! I-" Fox was cut off by Wolf.

"Look, Fox, I don't know why he's here. He's dead. But, what I do know is that thing...is still out there. Somewhere. And I can't take him down alone."

Fox was caught off-guard. Wolf was asking him for help. And after the story he'd just heard, he found that he couldn't say no. "Alright, Wolf. I will."

"Thank you, Fox. Thank you for everything." Wolf said, getting to his feet. He stumbled a bit, though, and had to sit back down. "But first...uh, I don't think I can think straight, let alone walk." He looked sheepishly at Fox, whose eyelids were starting to droop. He hadn't really slept since he arrived at the island two days ago.

"Uh, yeah. Maybe we should sleep." Fox's eyes started closing, and he slowly sank to the ground. He curled himself up into a little ball, as though he were a cub, and quickly fell asleep.

Wolf looked at him a second longer. Slowly, a small grin stretched onto his face as he sunk into sleep.

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**Sorry 'bout the lack in action in this chapter. Don't worry, I'll make up for it soon. Thanks for the reviews I've already gotten, it's seriously awesome people even look at this thing. Alright - later!**


	10. EXTRA!

_In an unknown ship flying through the gala-hey, wait, that's not a ship! That's some room! This isn't part of the story, it's an extra scene! God, what kind of loser would do one of these...well, whatever. Long as I'm getting paid, I'm the creepy narrator. TheXbeat08 is sitting on an awesome recliner chair, and the main characters of the story, Fox McCloud and Wolf O'Donnell, are sitting on a couch. Why the hell am I here again? Whatever, just listen._

TheXbeat08: Hey, everyone! This story's still in progress, but I just decided to take a break. Sorta sick of writing seriousness, you know? Also, I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed this one way or another – your support and advice really helped the story come together. But, it's not over yet!

Wolf: Yeah, it better not be. God, I'm so pissed at you right now?

Beat: Uh, why?

Wolf: 'Cuz you made me seem like such a pansy! God damn it, I keep getting saved by HIS hide (points at Fox)! I haven't even gotten to hit him yet.

Fox: Uh, yeah you have.

Wolf: ...but it was just once!

Fox: And it hurt! I had a bruise there for a week after that!

Wolf: Oh please, you wuss. Let's not forget when you made me lose almost ALL the blood in my arms! I couldn't feel them after that!

Fox: Wow. You really ARE a pansy...

Wolf (standing): THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GOING DOWN, MCCLOUD!!!

Fox: If you can catch me, furball.

_Wolf chases Fox around. Ignoring the two canines, Beat goes on._

Beat: So, anyway, I sorta hit a small writer's block. I'm not sure who the main villain's gonna be yet – I know, sorta important, so-

_Beat ducks as a potted plant flies overhead, missing Fox by a few inches._

Fox: C'mon, you can aim better than that!

Wolf: Shut up, you son of a bitch! Stand STILL!

Beat: -as soon as I have an idea on the villain, the story will be back on track. Now, since you're probably sick of my rambling, let's watch these two. It's much more entertaining.

_Fox runs towards an empty wall. Wolf is close on his heels._

Wolf: Ha! Gotcha now, pup!

Fox: Don't CALL me that!

_Reaching the wall, Fox jumps up and kicks off of it. He twists in the air, ending up behind Wolf. He takes off, laughing at the slowing lupine._

Wolf: You...suck...

_Wolf stops, collapsing onto the couch the two were previously sitting on. His breathing is heavy. Fox walks over and sits on the edge. He shakes his head at the wolf._

Fox: Dude, that's just pathetic. You're telling me you can only chase me around for TWO MINUTES?

Wolf: Shut up, or I'll rip your head off.

Beat: No way! I just got that couch cleaned!

Fox: What do you have to worry about? It'll probably take 3 years for him to even grab my tail!

_Wolf lashes at Fox in what's supposed to be a sudden movement, but Fox saw it coming a mile away. He hops off the couch and steps back. He laughs at the arrogant wolf who's swiping uselessly into the air directly at him. The glare Wolf shot at him was so menacing, if it was a knife Fox's head would really have been cut off. Fox stopped laughing, then asked Wolf to move over. Wolf sighed, then moved over. Fox plopped back down._

Beat: Well, since that party's over...

Wolf: Wait, I have 2 complaints for you.

Beat: Uh...okay?

Wolf: First, you said we were on an island?

Beat: Oh, yeah. You're not.

Fox: So, where are we?

Beat: Uh...I don't know, actually. Some planet.

Wolf: And second...the time of the story's off. Has it been 2 or 3 days?

Fox: Yeah! You said Krystal was crying for 76 hours, which is 3 days. But then you said we were there 2 days.

Wolf: Do you have a problem with math or something?

_Beat stood up suddenly_.

Beat (shouting): Fine! You know what? I! Suck! At! MATH! I have no FUCKING clue how to add, subtract, multiply and whatever the hell the other one was! I don't care! You guys have been on that goddamn planet for two goddamn days!!! Alright??? You happy??? Anything ELSE you want to make fun of me about?????

Fox: ...Uh, we weren't making fun of you.

Beat: Yeah, sure! But I don't care if you think I'm retarded, 'cuz guess what?? I AIN'T NO MATH NERD, BITCH! So go stick THAT up your a-

_As TheXbeat08 angrily babbled on, Wolf discreetly pulled out his blaster. He reset the levels, aimed, and fired. It hit Beat in the stomach. A second later, Fox and Wolf looked down at Beat, laying on the ground._

Fox: Um...what the hell?

Wolf: Beat wouldn't shut up. It was pissing me off.

Fox: Yeah, but that doesn't mean you KILL someone when they're pissing you off!

Wolf: Two things wrong with what you just said. One, of COURSE you kill someone when they piss you off!

Fox (rolling this eyes): Figures.

Wolf: And two, I set it on stun. Beat's fine, just sleeping a few hours.

_Without warning, Beat shot up wearing a huge, creepy grin._

Beat: Ah, look at you two! Look at the sun outside! It shines on your fur so gloriously! Come, let's admire the shimmering golden tones of today!

Wolf & Fox: ...What the HELL?

Fox (looking at Wolf's blaster): God, you moron. You set it on "gay", not "stun"!

Wolf: ...ah, shit.

Beat: C'mere, I wanna give you a big kiss!!!!!!!

_Beat raced towards Wolf, arms outstretched. Wolf, disgusted, punched Beat in the face. Once again, Beat was knocked out cold. Wolf then reset his blaster to "lethal" and took aim._

Fox: What are you doing?

Wolf: Killing him. Bitch tried to rape me!

Fox: Uh, Wolf. If you kill Beat, what happens to us?

Wolf: ...erm, you've got a point. Maybe, uh, we should wake him up?

Fox: Good idea.

_Fox grabbed a cup of water from the kitchen and splashed it onto Beat's face. Sputtering, Beat got up._

Beat: Oh, god. My head...what the hell happened?

Fox: Well, you were going out of your mind, so Wolf shot you. He thought he set it on stun, but it was gay instead. So you ran off after him, trying to rape him or whatever. So Wolf punched you in the face.

Beat: ...oh. Uh, sorry, Wolf.

Wolf: It's okay. I guess.

Beat: Well, anyway. We probably should start wrapping up here. The rest of the story is coming, promise. And in case you missed the recap, Fox and Wolf are trapped on a planet. They've been there two days and one night. The story will pick up as the night of the second day is starting. Oh, and I might make another one of these, too, if people like it. Alright, time to say bye, you two.

Wolf: Screw you all...

Fox: ...and have a nice day.

Beat: R/R, please!

Beat, Wolf, and Fox: Later!


	11. Announcement STORY ISN'T DEAD

_Damn room. Nobody let me out yet. I just want some food...whatever. Listen to these guys._

Fox: Hey, everybody. It's just me and O'Donnell here today, 'cuz Beat's tied up in a closet somewhere. Poor kid's been getting hit with writer's block for awhile now.

Wolf: So yesterday, Beat totally flips a shit on him, so we had to knock him unconscious-

Fox: Which was pretty much Wolf beating the crap out of OUR OWN AUTHOR, then wrapping 'em up and throwing in some coat closet.

Wolf: ANYWAY. So Beat had said before the psycho-attack happened that there are a ton of Fox/Wolf love fics out there, and wanted to make a general announcement.

_Both Fox and Wolf point at each other._

Fox & Wolf: WE AIN'T GAY.

Fox: And we never will be.

Wolf: 'Cuz...ew.

Fox: Yeah. Sorry if we're insulting those who find serious inner pleasure from two male, pixelated, anthropomorphic canines making hot steamy love to each other. But it won't happen.

Wolf: BUT, if that's what...erm...floats your boat, there are a TON out there. Trust me.

_He shudders._

Fox: Alright, so we're gonna head out. Gotta go find Beat...

Wolf: Ah, do we have to let Beat out yet? I haven't finished raiding the fridge! Plus I don't wanna be raped again...

Fox: Whatever. Guess we can wait 'till tomorrow...

Wolf: Or the next day. Exactly. Alright...

Fox & Wolf: Later!


	12. Chapter 10

**Woo, serious writers block hangover right now. After two dumb chapters and a songfic, it's back! Alright, R/R please (Oh, and shoutout to everyone who's reviewed or PMed-thanks for the support!) **

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"Alright, battle formation!" General Peppy's voice rang out over the comm. system. "Let's go find our leaders!"

Falco, Krystal, Slippy, Leon and Panther each replied, then moved in a tight, clean formation towards their past battleground. Slippy, being the weakest pilot, took the center, with Krystal and Falco leading to his right and left, and Leon and Panther taking up the rear.

When they reached the grounds, the combined teams looked around. "Alright," said Falco. "Which way could they hav-"

He was cut off by a flash of pink laser, identical to the one that Wolf had been shot down by. It sliced between Slippy and Falco, grazing the nose of Slippy's Arwing. "Argh! What was that?" Slippy cried out.

Remembering the laser, Leon's voice echoed through the channel. "That's what shot down Wolf! We gotta get out of here!"

Peppy agreed. He'd witnessed the Wolfen's fall from his screen, and remembered the way Wolf's ship had a clean slice straight through as it plummeted. He couldn't risk that happening to anyone else, especially since their two leaders were gone and none of the teammates who remained were as skilled at flying except Falco. "You heard 'em! Evasive maneuvers!"

The group did a 180 turn, then took off towards the Great Fox. Krystal, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up. "No matter what, we must try to get them back."

Panther's voice replied, determined. "Not try, my dear. We will."

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Fox opened his tired eyes, realizing he still couldn't see anything. He must have slept all day; the sun had left the sky hours ago. Slowly, he sat up. His eyes adjusting, he faintly saw Wolf a few feet away, snoring slightly. For some reason, knowing he was their made Fox feel a little better.

Sure, he may be lost, but at least he wasn't alone.

A snap of a twig caught the fox's attention. Turning toward the sound, Fox silently stood to his feet. His hand reached toward his waist, but then dropped limply to his side as he remembered he had no blaster. Sighing, he looked out into the trees.

The glowing stars and pale light of the crescent moo above gave little light, but it was enough for Fox to see a figure kneeling in the bushes. He felt the icy glare of the shadowy being cut into him. Fox quietly circled the trees, trying to get around them. He didn't want anything disturbing the sleeping lupine.

Finally, when Fox reached the other end of the trees, his voice came as a loud whisper. "Show yourself." The figure stood from his kneeling position and walked into the clearing. Fox's eyes widened, his breath quickening. "You...no. It can't be." The figure kept approaching. It's rounded ears remained rigid, and his paws left nearly no noise as it contacted the dusty earth beneath them.

About a foot from Fox, the figure stopped. It's mouth curled into a menacing smile, and it's voice belonged to someone who would normally be seen in a mental hospital. It was hardened by years alone, hatred of others, but Fox could still hear the truly maniacal tone as it spoke. "We meet again, Fox McCloud."

Fox's eyes narrowed. "I killed you. 10 years ago, I blew you up. You are dead," he spoke, his voice calm despite the impossibilities he was listing. "You can't be alive."

The apelike silhouette replied, his voice full of psychotic malice. "But I am. And I have come here to do the one thing I've been trying to do ever since I killed your father." Its cold eyes locked onto Fox's, sensing the slight stab of fear in his emerald eyes. "And that one thing...is to kill you."

A paw swung out of the blackness, which Fox barely evaded. The ape was angry he'd missed, and let out a yell. Fox took off towards the rocky cliff where Wolf had encountered the figure of his father. He barely heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Think. He needed to think. He leaped high onto the wall, kicked off, and was shot backwards into the safety of a tree.

_Andross?_ His mind raced. _I killed him. But he's here! How can that be..._

Suddenly, something in Fox's mind snapped. He remembered Wolf's terrified reaction to the older Wolf, and the story he'd told Fox. The weak point; that's what the larger Wolf had been after. His weak point. And now, this shadow of Andross wanted Fox's. And of course, the weak point for everyone is the same.

Fear.

An idea formed in Fox's mind. Beneath him, Andross stood about five feet from the trunk, back facing the tree. He was looking for the disappearing vulpine. Fox grabbed a tree branch and lowered himself to the ground. His landing startled the ape before him. Collecting himself, the crazed ape let out a chuckle. "You'll be dead before you know it, McCloud."

Fox shook his head and grinned. "No, I won't." The ape threw his head back in laughter, but Fox's grin never faded. "I won't let you win," the vulpine continued, crossing his arms, "because I'm not afraid of you."

The laughter ceased. Andross' eyes opened wide. "But...but how...did you..." he stammered. He took a deep breath. His eyes closed, and he held his right hand out, palm forward, facing Fox. A yellow ball of light illuminated his hand. At the same time, Fox looked down and saw an identical light above his heart. For some strange reason, he didn't feel the light at all.

"What are you doing?" he asked, approaching the ape. But Andross put his hand down and spoke. "Hmm. You are a smart one indeed. But not smart enough."

Andross closed his eyes once more. A sudden breeze blew through the air, ruffling Fox's fur. Small shadows shrouded around Andross' feet. They grew larger, swirling around his body. Soon, only a cloud of shadows could be seen before Fox.

Finally, when the shadows parted, before him was not Andross. The figure now had pointed ears, a pointed tail, and eyes as green as emeralds. His fur was ebony; black as night itself. Besides the color, the new opponent looked strikingly similar to...Fox.

When it spoke, the shadowy twin revealed a voice nearly identical to Fox's, but with tones of rage and hatred as well. "Your fears are limited. This is why you are such a good mercenary. However, there is still something you fear. Something...or someone."

Fox's eyebrows raised. "Myself? How can I be afraid of me?"

Without warning, the black fox shot out at the tan one. Fox found himself with his back to the cliff, as the shadow fox held out its arm over his shoulders. to secure him. "Not all of you. A part. The part that fears that he will let his team down. His fans. His home. The part that worries for the safety and well-being of all who surround him." The ink-colored fox leaned closer, whispering in Fox's ear. "The part that is afraid of failure."

Fox wanted to hit him; to hurt him so badly he'd remember it forever and forever stop his talking. For what the dark fox was saying was true.

He struggled, trying to break free of the shadowed figure's grasp, but it was no use. Both were unaware that the sounds of his struggling had aroused Wolf. Stretching, the sleepy lupine's eyes widened when he noticed Fox was gone. Then, he saw two figures through the trees. The small stretch of light piercing the sky allowed Wolf to see one of the figures struggling against the wall, while the other held him there. The one being held against the cliff resembled Fox, but his opponent, strangely, also looked like Fox.

Wolf squinted, and saw that the one holding off the other was darker than Fox's normal coloring. Involuntarily, Wolf gasped as the darker fox drew a blade from where his gun should have been and held it to Fox's neck. Without thinking, Wolf darted towards them.

"Hey!" Wolf called out, startling the black fox. The real Fox strained his neck towards Wolf, having no clue what was going to happen next.

Wolf's eyes narrowed at the ink-furred fox. "Drop the knife."

"Or what?" It's taunting voice also resembled Fox's.

Wolf cracked his knuckles. "Or we have a problem."

Realizing that Wolf was diverting the attention of his opponent, Fox wriggled out of the other's grip and punched him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Unfortunately, the darker fox had drained a lot of Fox's energy, and the punch just took up more. Pleading to Wolf with his eyes, he slid down the wall and took deep breaths.

Wolf nodded at Fox, understanding his silent message. He looked back at the black Fox. As he moved forward, he shot a fist at the enemy's head. The ebony fox evaded, irritating Wolf. It was just like fighting the real Fox.

More evading continued, and Wolf was on the verge of madness. Angrily, he tackled the black fox to the ground, knocking him off his feet. He'd pinned down his legs and arms, but the dark fox simply grinned. Wolf blinked, and the fox was gone. Suddenly, he felt an elbow slam into his back. He gasped in pain, falling to the ground. He rolled over and saw the dark fox looking down on him. He reared back a fist to punch Wolf, but the lupine rolled away at the last minute.

Fox had seen what the shadowy fox had done. "Wolf! He can teleport, or something!" He called out to Wolf. Wolf growled.

"Damn! That's not fair!" He swiped at the dark fox from the ground, but it vanished once again. Wolf stood quickly, then heard a voice whisper in his ear.

"Life ain't fair, Wolf."

Instinctively, Wolf's elbow jutted out towards the source of the voice. He smiled slightly went he felt his elbow collide with something. He turned to see the black fox, kneeling over.

He raised his arm over the crouching fox, ready for the final blow. As he brings his arm down, however, a black flash springs to life before his eyes. For a split second, he sees the his arm still in midair, as the dark fox holds it in one hand.

The black fox gives a grin, holding a steel grip on Wolf's forearm. He twists it, causing a roar of pain to erupt within Wolf. He throws Wolf over one shoulder, causing the lupine to land on his back with a thud. Keeping his grasp on Wolf's arm, the fox put a foot on Wolf's stomach. He pulled on the Wolf's arm, causing him to cry in pain again.

During the fight, Fox revived himself. Wolf was in a lot of trouble, and Fox knew he needed help. Determination built up inside him. Just last night, Wolf had asked Fox for help. His heart was set on helping Wolf no matter what.

He picked up a stone of the ground. He juggled it a bit in his hand. It was about the size of his fist. Taking aim, Fox hurled the rock towards the dark figure.

Wolf suddenly felt his arm being released. He glanced up to see the dark fox moaning, rubbing the back of his head. The fox glared at the vulpine at the wall. Fox was fully standing now, arms crossed, grinning. "You!" The black fox called out in rage, then looked down at Wolf. "Heh, may as well take care of you first."

The black fox disappeared. Wolf began to panic a bit, realizing how open he was. He heard footsteps, and painfully turned his head. Fox was running straight at the wall. "Idiot," he muttered. His eyes opened slightly as he saw Fox leap at the wall and kick off it once again. He'd done this twice before as well, but Wolf hadn't seen either time.

While about ten feet airborne over Wolf, Fox called out, "Wolf! Roll on my mark!" Wolf watched as Fox raised his clasped fists above his head. Then, the ebony fox appeared beneath the orange vulpine.

The foe barely had time to turn around when he heard a voice shout, "Mark!" Before he could realize what was happening, the dark fox was plummeting towards the ground. A shooting pain was throbbing from his head. He watched as his original target shifted out of the way, then all he could see was darkness.

The fox was knocked unconscious, if only for half a minute. When he finally regained himself, he realized he was being pinned to the cliff, much like he'd just done to Fox moments before. He blinked, and realized Wolf was the one securing him to the side of the cliff. A few feet behind him stood Fox, arms still crossed, staring him down.

His gaze returned to Wolf, who had a paw grasping his throat. He could still breathe, but not very well. Fox noticed how weakly the ebony fox's breaths were, and spoke to Wolf, "Let go of him."

Grudgingly, Wolf followed the order. The released fox collapsed to the ground. Fox kneeled so they were looking each other in the eye. The orange vulpine held out a small object to his darker self. It resembled a small, blinking button.

"This important?" The black fox held out a hand to try and take it, but the other crumbled it in his fist. "Now that you can't teleport your way out of this one..." Fox said, making eye contact with his copy. "We won't hurt you if you answer our questions. Now, who sent you?"

The other fox didn't answer, causing Wolf's usual impatient nature to grow inside him. "Answer the question!" he roared. Still, no answer. The black fox just looked straight at his twin. Their green eyes were so identical; maybe their minds were as well.

Fox, however, blocked out all the signals the other vulpine sent him. "If you don't answer," he spoke quietly, "then we'll have to make you." He stepped back. "Wolf. You're on."

"With pleasure," the lupine snarled, approaching the collapsed vulpine. "Why won't you answer?" The fox looked up, struggling to his feet.

"Please," he replied to the wolf. "Why would I do that?" He was answered by a kick to the face. The force snapped his neck back, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Who's hurting now, huh?" the lupine questioned, enjoying himself. He balled his uninjured hand into a fist, solidly connecting it with the fox's gut.

The fox struggled for breath, holding his side. "You can't use your arm," he gasped, barely managing the words.

Wolf grinned. "Sucks for you; I'm ambidextrous." The black fox swore under his breath. "What was that?" Wolf asked, grabbing onto the fox's neck once again. The ebony fox said nothing."That's what I thought," Wolf continued. "Now," he continued, tightening his grip on the fox's jugular, "who sent you?"

No answer. The aggravated wolf tightened his grip more, causing the dark fox to gasp for breath. "Can you tell me now?" he asked, rage evident in his voice.

The fox struggled to breathe. Fox realized this, and strode up to Wolf. "Wolf, you're gonna kill him!" Wolf gave Fox a strange look for a second, then both turned their gazes to the black fox. They saw the life slowly fading from his lime-colored eyes.

A whisper faintly escaped the ebony fox's lips. "One of your fears has been defeated." he gasped. "You will only find your true foe when you conquer the other." With that, his eyes closed. His breaths stopped. Wolf released the foe, and Fox felt for a pulse. He was unable to find one.

Fox stood, and turned to face Wolf. The lupine looked down at the ground and muttered, "He pissed me off so much."

Fox rolled his eyes. "Well, as long as you remember what he told us." The lupine closed his eyes, still looking down. "Um, Fox..."

"You can't remember?" Fox yelled, startling the wolf. "You mean we went through all that...and then you don't even...you're unbelievable!"

Wolf slowly looked up to see Fox glaring at him. His eyes glowed fiercely, and his fangs were bared. Wolf hadn't seen him so downright pissed off in a long time.

"You mean...I was supposed to remember?" Wolf asked quietly, causing Fox to stomp on the ground in aggravation. Wolf's eyes widened when he noticed Fox had caused a hole. "Don't hurt me!" Wolf shut his eyes, bracing himself for impact. He was surprised when he heard laughter instead.

Wolf opened his eyes to see Fox doubled over, laughing. Tears streamed down his face. "Oh my god, Wolf, you should have seen yourself! You were practically ready to piss himself!! Ha!" Wolf's muzzle grew redder as Fox continued laughing.

"Have your fun for now, pup," Wolf spoke. Fox stopped. He loathed that nickname so much. "I'll get you back."

"Sure, Wolf, of course." Fox looked around, his eyes settling on the body of the black fox. "And you call me lethal?" Fox looked back at Wolf, smirking. Wolf shrugged.

"So what'd that freak mean by what he said? We have to beat both fears before we reach the final enemy?" Wolf tried to recall all the words that the ebony fox had said.

"Yeah. I think that means we have to find the one that looks like your father." Wolf shuddered a bit, and Fox gave him a comforting look. "If you don't want me to help you, fine. If you want me to do it for you, fine," Fox continued. He didn't exactly know why, but he felt he had to help Wolf.

Wolf wondered why Fox wanted to help. Weren't they rivals? Normally, the answer would be yes. But under the twisted, coincidental circumstances the two were in, they didn't have much of a choice. Wolf looked up at his rival. "I need your help, Fox."

The vulpine nodded. "Well, we should probably go, then," he said. He walked over to the identical fox.

Wolf shot him a questioning look. "Uh, Fox? What are you doing?" Fox didn't answer. He rolled the body over and saw a gun holster. The sky was brighter now, revealing two glints of light from inside the holster. Pulling his paw out, he held two blades. He tossed one at Wolf, who, since he had no holster, strapped it into his shoe. Fox did the same.

"Alright, Fox. Let's go." With that, the two strode into the distance together. Fox flashed back to what he'd thought in the middle of the night. Little did he know Wolf was thinking the same thing.

They may be lost, but at least they weren't alone.

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**Okay, if they were a guy and a girl, the end there would have totally led into some romantic love scene. However, as I made clear in the last chapter,**

**Fox & Wolf: WE AIN'T GAY!**

**Wait. Where'd you two come from? Well, whatever, they're right. They are not getting into a relationship, 'cuz I like Krystal too much. As should all of you. Anyway, more to come soon. Thank GOD for Spanish class; it ended this bitch of a writing block. So please R/R, more is coming soon. **

**  
F&W: Later!**

**Okay, go away, you two! As to everyone else, see you around!**


	13. Chapter 11

**Hey, everyone! Finally got a free day (FINALLY!), so I decided I'd do this instead of all the studying I'm supposed to be doing. Personally, I find this much more interesting. But, if you read this story and feel like you'd rather be doing homework, review & let me know! Ha, that was a really weird way of asking for reviews...well, whatever. Enjoy!**

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The screen was the only thing that brightened the darkness of the realm. An unseen figure watched it intensely. The screen showed two images, each clear as crystal. One showed five small space fighter crafts turning course and boosting towards their mothership. This sight caused the figure to give a small smile. The other showed a black fox collapsing lifelessly to the ground, dispersing the smile formed not even a second before.

"Incompetence," he muttered. "Seems as though the two most well-known space mercenary captains really earn their title."

The silhouette turned to a seemingly empty corner of the room. For the second time, their glaring mouth curled into a grin.

"Isn't that right, General?"

A muffled cry was the response. Though it was shrouded in darkness, a small wooden chair rested in the corner. Bound tightly to the chair was an aging hound, covered in military medals. His quiet cries were a result of the duct tape tightly wrapped around his snout.

"Heh, cry all you want Pepper." The dark voice spat out the name. "Even if they manage to find my other assistant, they will never defeat him. Your army will fall without the help of your precious elite fliers, for they cannot help you without their leaders."

He turned back to the screen. Not even his cloak of darkness could disguise the burning fury, rage and evil glinting in his beaded eyes. "O'Donnell and McCloud will fall. Nobody, not even the most ruthless mercenary...or hero...can resist falling to the darkness."

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The loose gravel crunched beneath their boots. Odd-shaped trees and strange flying birds provided the only scenery for the two wanderers. Nonetheless, their species-enhanced eyes scanned constantly, searching for a large, menacing wolf.

Fox and Wolf had walked for at least a mile, finally stopping for a break when the sun was directly centered in the sky. They discovered some juicy red berries, each about the size of a baseball. Careful examination of the fruit determined that it was harmless, and the two ate in silence, savoring their break.

After their short stop, they were off again. Wanderers with less common sense would easily get lost, but the experienced mercenaries cut odd symbols into boulders about a hundred meters apart with their newly-acquired knives.

Besides the occasional stop at a boulder, the two walked in silence. Not so long ago, Fox and Wolf were rivals. But fate had a way of turning things sometimes. Three times the two had to work together to stop a dangerous horde of enemies, all seeming to lead to one powerful and evil adversary. Now, the wolf and fox were searching for one of the assistants to this cruel foe; a shadowy creature that had taken the form of Wolf's father.

The last time they'd encountered the impostor father, he'd scared the lights out of Wolf. Past memories of his father still haunted him. Luckily, Fox had surprisingly come to his rescue, and the wolf staggered off with sore bruises.

A similar attack from a different enemy had occurred the night after. Fox woke up to discover his father's murderer, Andross, lurking in the shadows. Like Wolf's dad, Andross had been dead for several years. Fox himself had killed him. But, when Fox figured out that fear was what the enemies were using to get the pilots to submit to them, his foe was startled. However, he then turned into a dark version of Fox, representing the one fear deep inside the vulpine: he was scared he'd fail.

As Fox was slowly losing the battle against himself, Wolf rushed in. After knocking the black vulpine out, they tried to interrogate him. However, when the ebony fox revealed nothing, Wolf took a tight grip on his neck. He didn't realize how strong his hold was until Fox noticed the life draining from the enemies' eyes. The final words of their foe still echoed in Fox's head.

"_One of your fears have been defeated. You will only find your true foe when you conquer the other."_

Wolf's thoughts were similar. After the battle, Fox explained to Wolf that fear is what the enemy is using against them. This angered Wolf greatly. How was using fear even fair? And how did these enemies know their fears anyway?

Wolf thought even deeper. Fox's enemy. Could he have been a foe from a mission? No, they looked too alike. A brother? Wolf had never heard Fox had a brother, not even in the news. When asked, Fox revealed the fox was a morphed version of himself, but didn't go into it further.

But the curiosity was eating away at Wolf. Finally, it grew too unbearable. "Fox," he said, breaking the seemingly everlasting silence, "how do you fight yourself?"

Fox didn't respond at first, choosing to watch the ground instead. "Well?" Wolf asked. He was growing impatient as the seconds stretched into minutes. "Can you answer?"

Fox's head snapped up. "It was...a part of me," he said slowly, as though choosing his words cautiously. "A darker part of me. A part of me that's scared...of failure. That I'll let someone down." He looked over at Wolf. The lupine just stared back. Then, he chuckled quietly. Fox shot him a questioning look. "What?" he asked.

The wolf 's volume increased, his chuckles turning to laughs. "What kinda fear is that? Who's scared of themselves? That's just messed up, pup."

Fox growled. "Don't CALL me that!" Wolf's eyebrows raised, surprised at Fox's reaction. "I HATE that nickname!" The vulpine's voice was full of anger. Wolf slowly backed away, but Fox never let the distance between them reach more than three feet.

"Calm down, pup-" Wolf started, but was interrupted by a pain in his shoulder. Before he could even flinch, Fox had lunged forward and punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" Wolf cried out, then glared at Fox. "What the hell?"

Fox shook off his temper and shrugged. "I told you to stop. Maybe now you'll listen." Wolf snarled at him. "Ah, shut up," Fox replied. "Do you like nicknames, Wolfie?" The lupine, who had started walking forward, stopped suddenly. Fox grinned as Wolf's fur stood on end.

"What was that?" The lupine spoke in a fierce whisper, slowly turning around and surprising Fox. He'd been expecting Wolf's tone to be its usual roar.

"You heard me..." Fox replied. He leaned forward, arms crossed. "...Wolfie."

Faster than a blink, Fox was burrowed into the ground. Wolf sat on top of him, breathing heavily; a fire deep within his eyes danced tauntingly at the fox.

"If you know what's good for you," Wolf spoke quietly, "you'll shut up."

Fox didn't respond. He just wanted the older canine off of him; their body masses about thirty pounds apart.

Grinning, Wolf stood. Slowly, Fox brought himself to his feet. He brushed the dirt off of him. "Hell, Wolf! How much do you weigh? You almost crushed my windpipe!"

"Now maybe you'll remember to watch yourself, McCloud," Wolf replied. "I'm guessing I have about thirty pounds and five or six inches on you, so you definitely don't want me hitting you that hard again..." He leaned closer to the younger vulpine. "...'cuz you may not survive next time."

Fox looked straight into Wolf's face, ignoring the fact he had to tilt his head pretty far back. "That's where you're wrong, O'Donnell. 'Cuz sure, maybe I'm only 5'8", and only weigh 185." He grinned at the obviously larger canine. "But I can sure as hell beat your 215-pound ass."

"Wanna bet on that?" Wolf cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Not yet," Fox replied. "Let's find your dad first. Then we'll settle this."

Grudgingly, Wolf agreed. "Fine. But don't forget, Fox...when this is all over, your ass is mine."

The two continued walking, silence settling over them once again. Wolf, like last time, grew bored of the silence quickly. He thought back to the battles. He remembered that when the black fox disappeared to finish him, Fox knew exactly where he was. How'd he know? He asked his thoughts out loud.

"It's something I'd do in a battle," Fox replied, "if I had that advantage. Sneak up when an enemy is most vulnerable."

Wolf nodded, and the two walked again in silence. Again, Wolf attempted to break it. "Why do you hate that nickname?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?"

"I dunno," Wolf responded. "Got an answer?"

Fox stared off into the distance, his gaze falling upward. "My dad called me that," he said quietly. "Ever since he died, I've never wanted anyone calling me that. Ever."

Wolf nodded, as though he understood. "Funny, Fox, that's why I hate Wolfie. Before he did drugs, the only one who called me that...was my dad."

Fox's eyes widened. "Your father!"

Wolf gave him a confused look. "Yeah, Fox, another word for dad is father."

"No!" Fox rolled his eyes. He pointed at something behind Wolf. "There's your father!"

Wolf turned to see the form of Blake O'Donnell grinning meticulously back at them. He stood on a raised hill, surrounded by about thirty red-faced thugs that the two faced before.

Wolf and Fox looked at each other. Fox noticed a blaze of fire in Wolf's lavender eyes. "Ready, Wolf?"

Wolf's eyes narrowed. "Let's finish this."

The two nodded, and ran towards the horde of enemies. As they charged, Wolf's mind raced. Memories of his father flashed through his mind. His own anger swirled around the images of his father. His thoughts spoke to him. _I'm done with you,_ he thought. _I'm done with all you've put me through. Finally, after all this time, I'll have my way. _

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**Sorry this one's short. It was supposed to have more, but I'm cutting out the fight scene and putting it in the next chapter. Typing's tough 'cuz I'm supposed to be asleep and nobody can hear me. Anyway, I'll try to update soon, maybe in a few days. TGIF tomorrow! Anyway, R/R if you have any thoughts...and that's about it. Later!**


	14. Chapter 12

**Hey, everyone! So, I know what you all are thinking... I have no life. WRONG! I DO have a life, I just really wanted to get this out. I practically cut this completely out of the last chapter, even though I meant for it to be in there. So here's part II of the last chapter. Oh, and one last thing: I know my fight scenes are crap, but if you have any ideas, R/R and let me know! Okay, enjoy!**

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As Fox and Wolf neared the group of enemies, the dark figure chuckled. His form mirrored Wolf's drug-addicted father, Blake O'Donnell, but the enemy himself was completely different. Serving his master, his soul had been sucked out of him. It was replaced with the lost souls of his foe's deepest fear. The situation was copied for his ally, who had taken the form of the dark Fox McCloud. Their master simply referred to them as Black and Blue. After learning of Black's deminse, Blue set out to terminate his enemies once and for all.

Ten of the loyal thugs glided forward. Realizing they were outnumbered, Fox and Wolf positioned themselves for defensive combat as the enemies surrounded them.

Wolf's neck strained as he shifted his gaze around the ring of foes, desperately trying to keep himself unopen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fox standing in defensive position, eyes closed.

_He crazy? _Wolf wondered. He noticed Fox's ears sticking straight up, the right twitching ever so slightly. Just then, the enemy directly behind Fox silently neared him, slowly raising its arms to grab the seemingly defenseless vulpine. Wolf's eyes widened, and his mouth opened to warn Fox. However, before he could make a sound, the enemy stopped moving. Fox had thrust his arms out behind him and latched onto the outstretched arms of the startled enemy. Keeping his iron grip on the thug's forearms, Fox opened his eyes and grinned at a confused Wolf.

From on top of the hill, Blue's eyes widened slightly. He snarled, and silently instructed an awaiting enemy to leap at the fox from the trees. Nodding, the foe swiftly climbed the tree without catching the attention of the canines within the circle of adversaries.

Meanwhile, another thug ran forward towards Fox. Jumping up in the air, he swung his lower body straight into the enemy's face, knocking it out. Another approached, but was knocked back by a swift but rough kick to the stomach. The whole time, Fox kept his hold on the foe behind him.

As Wolf watched, another enemy crept up behind him. Although they had no feet and therefore produced no echo of footsteps, Wolf picked up its movements with his sensetive canine ears. He jutted his elbow back, expecting to his air. To his surprise, he felt the solid connection of his elbow hitting bone. He turned to see an enemy lying cold in the dirt. He looked back at Fox. _Hmm. Maybe the kid's got an idea going here._

Fox listened closely, completely blocking out the struggling enemy caught behind him. His sharp eyes caught a movement in a nearby tree. Just then, the flash flew into the air. Fox watched as the enemy arced skyward, then sped towards him.

Holding tightly, Fox watched the enemy fall closer and closer. Finally, when the foe was about ten feet above him, he swiftly flipped the struggling foe over his shoulder, still grasping its arms. Fox allowed the momentum of the flip to roll him with the enemy. Being lighter than his adversary, he was lifted into the air, eventually straightening out. For a split second, his body combined with the fallen foe's created an L shape. When he was stick-straight, he finally released his hold.

As hoped, the momentum shot him into the air. He shot his right foot in front of him as he shot horizontally towards the descending adversary. About five feet from the ground, he felt his foot collide with the enemy's face. His momentum overpowered the foe's, causing both to crash into the dirt. Unfortunately for the enemy, he'd been on the bottom.

Landing on top, Fox remained in a standing position. He walked back over to Wolf, who just gaped at him. The vulpine grinned. "What?"

For once, Wolf was at a loss for words. After a second, he shook his head. "That sure was fancy," he said. "But I like doing it my way."

With that, he made his right paw into a fist. He swung out suddenly, colliding his fist into the face of an approaching foe. The strength caused the enemy to spin around as he fell, immediately slipping into unconciousness.

Fox shrugged. "I can play that way." His ear twitched as he heard an enemy approach his left. He swung his foot around, landing a solid roundhouse kick on the adversary's face. Immediately, they fell to the ground. Fox turned just in time to see Wolf repeatedly punching a barely-concious foe.

Blue, disguised as Blake, continued to send thugs after the two mercenaries, but it was to no avail. His vision blurred with anger as the number of fallen red-faced opponents increased at a devestating rate. After about five minutes, the two pilots faced him, each standing tall with their arms crossed, grinning. Thirty thugs lay in the dirt surrounding them.

"That all you got, O'Donnell?" The shorter canine asked tauntingly. "Or should I say, the _fake _O'Donnell?"

"You really think you stand a chance?" The silver and black wolf replied menacingly. He started walking towards the two mercenaries. "Even if you defeat me, you can never overpower our master. And, once you submit to him, your souls as well as your bodies will belong to him. You will belong to the darkness."

Fox and Wolf only stared back a moment, each feeling the urge to step forward. Wolf made eye contact with Fox, speaking with his eyes in a sort of telepathic language. Fox nodded back. Returning the nod, Wolf stepped forward.

"You're wrong," he spoke. "Whoever you are...or were...you're completely misguided. The only reason your soul is gone is because your will wasn't strong enough to pull through. To survive in this world, in this life, you need determination and will. Without those two things, you lost yourself. But I can assure you, the same fate does not await us."

Fox looked at him. "Us?" he asked quietly.

"Us," Wolf responded, his voice quiet as well. A small grin formed on their faces.

Wolf turned back to the larger wolf, whose breaths were now heavy with rage and anger. "So go ahead, Dad," Wolf spoke. "Hit us with your best shot.

Swiftly, Wolf ducked to avoid the larger wolf's exposed claws. Riding on the momentum of his swing, Blue continued his swing, lashing out with his other arm. Wolf held out his own forearm for a block.

The two wolves stood in a deadlock, their gray fur blending together almost as though they were one. Only the distinctive marks of white and black seperated them.

Fox simply looked on. He knew this was a battle Wolf would want to fight. Sure, he'd be there if Wolf was in deep trouble, but besides that, Wolf was on his own.

Wolf's mind raced as he held off the opposite wolf. He swept his foot towards the back of the larger wolf's knees, knocking Blue's feet out from under him. Blue landed on the ground, and Wolf pounced on top to pin him. His gaze locked onto the face of his father, and something inside him snapped.

All his life, his father had neglected him. Treated him like dirt, just like everyone else. Only his mother had truly cared for him, and she'd been the only one he'd really loved. His father had stolen away the one thing in his pathetic life that he'd treasured. After all these years, he finally had a chance at revenge. He didn't care that this wasn't really his father, that his real father was long gone. His vision, as well as his common sense, faded away. All that was left was the burning desire for revenge.

Wolf let out a growl that came from deep within him. He started applying pressure to Blue's neck. Blue wasn't worried at first: as a trained mercenary, Wolf was not to immedieately kill his enemy.

However, as Blue's heartbeats slowed, his panic rose. What was Wolf doing? He started gasping for breath, struggling onto the last ledges of consciousness. But Wolf still didn't let in. Fox hurried over to Wolf's side and saw the older wolf slowly losing his life, just as the ebony fox had.

"Wolf, stop!" Fox called out. "You're gonna suffocate him!" The burning in Wolf subsided a bt, enough for his senses to slowly seep back into his bloodstream. By the time he realized what he was doing, however, he saw the figure of his father gasp for one last breath. Fox's eyes narrowed, then slowly closed as the eyes of Blake O'Donnell shut once and for all.

"Wolf," Foxmuttered. He slowly opened one eye halfway to see Wolf shaking. He turned to Fox, tears pricking at his eyes. Fox was caught off-guard. Out of all the nasty scum and obnoxious bogeys floating around the galaxy, Wolf O'Donnell was by far the last he expected to shed a tear. Yet here he was before him, as his eyes watered even more.

"Fox," he sighed. "I'm sorry. I-" The wolf stopped speaking. Slowly, his eyes shut, and he fell forward. A confused look clouded over Fox's face, then he felt it. A small prick stung his neck. As his vision blurred, Fox looked to his left shoulder. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a small, blood-red tranquilizer dart.

Then, there was only darkness.

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**Alright, so there's your part II. R/R if you liked it, hated it, or whatever else. Also, shoutout to KrzyKrn K, starfighter-105, and LilGstryker for the reviews. Also, one to ShadowFox0324 for reviewing my other story. Okay, so until the next chapter...later!**


	15. Final Showdown Intro

**Hey guys! So I'm still suffering from writer's block, but I'm going to see if this works. The story's starting to hit a climax a bit, but it may not be as epic as I hoped. If I get a chance I'll redo it. Thanks for the reviews and support-without it I probably would've killed the story. Okay...here we go!**

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Showdown Against the Darkness: Finale Introduction

Once again, there was only darkness. How the cruel kidnapping of light could change one's atmosphere. One second, triumph flows through your veins. Then, before you can even imagine it, the darkness devours you. After that, you are numb.

The small fringes of life that cling helplessly to your soul begin to fade. Soon, you can't think anymore. The pain you once felt seems to have disappeared. However, it is not gone. It has simply seeped into you, absorbing your soul-the one fragile piece left of your being. Then, after what seems to be an infinite length of time, the pain controls your soul. Strengthening, the pain pulls your soul out of you. Your body, cold and lifeless, is left in its wake.

Since nobody living has ever actually remembered the pain closing up your soul, the process is simply referred to as death.

And that was where he was now. His body was practically useless; the only hope of survival for him was his soul. As the unseen pain broke his soul down, his hope slowly began to disperse.

Even while bound by the grasp of pain, his willpower pulled through. He found enough strength to see one last vision. A small, nearly invisible light began blinking. Its power of hypnosis overpowered him as the light grew, shone brightly for an instant, then slowly faded away.

The light grew larger, its rays reaching out. The light continued to blink, but faded quicker and stayed bright longer. Finally, the light broke through the final borders of darkness, and the extent of his vision was blurred into whiteness.

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Slowly, he bent one of his claws. The crack of exhausted bone echoed back to him. He silently drew a breath, then coughed. His throat was dry as sand; his lungs weak with exhaustion. He was unable to remember the last time he'd felt the rush of cool oxygen rush down his esophagus.

Struggling, Wolf managed to lift one of his upper eyelids. As his right eye cracked open, he felt a surge of pain throbbing in his skull. Just opening an eye caused him severe pain. He gritted his teeth, then gasped without making a sound; the new tension in his jaw brought a world of pain to his head. Fighting through the hurt, Wolf opened his eyes, albeit not that wide.

He looked around, not moving his head. A small, black chamber lay before him. The only light in the whole room was the dim back light from a rectangular screen against the opposite wall. _What the hell?_, he thought.

Suddenly, all the memories raced back to him. Being shot down. Crash-landing on a deserted planet. Finding a bunch of red-faced thugs. Beating up a bunch of red-faced thugs. Finding his father...no. An impostorof his father. Destroying the impostor Then...blackness.

Wolf blinked, trying to concentrate. There was more, wasn't there? When he'd crashed, he'd run into someone. Someone had been there. But who...?

"Fox," he mouthed. His voice hadn't caught up to him yet; all that was produced was a weak wheezing of the name. He coughed more, due to the insane amount of effort his lungs had to produce in order to speak.

Wolf strained to get a better look around, but realized moving was next to impossible. He found himself seated in a rickety wooden chair. A thick, braided rope was tightly wrapped around his shoulders and chest; another tied his legs, bound together, to the bottom of the chair. His arms were behind his back, and his wrists were bonded together by the same thick rope.

Muttering profanities in his mind, Wolf realized he could twist his neck, though it sent shocks of pain down his spine. He directed his head to his left, finding nothing. He was surprised to find his spirits sink, just slightly. A comforting thought would have been to know he wasn't the only one trapped in this mysterious situation.

Angling his head to the right, he found his pathetic prayer answered. Beside him, bound identically to Wolf, was Fox. The slightly younger canine's eyes were open, looking at the ground. He held his mouth shut in a tight line, and his ears were flattened down on his head. Wolf was unable to detect any signs of life in the orange fox, besides the nearly-undetectable movement of the ropes held tight to the fox's chest.

Wolf's eyes blinked quickly as he trying to relieve any traces of energy left deep within him. He attempted another deep breath, but all that produced was another coughing fit. He watched as one of Fox's ears slowly raised, twitching slightly. With a slight movement of his head, the vulpine averted his gaze to Wolf. His emerald eyes settled on Wolf's lavender ones, and Wolf noticed the lack of the glimmer usually twinkling within Fox's green eyes.

Hoping that maybe third time really is the charm, Wolf took a deep breath yet again. It still tickled in his throat, but it was small enough to avoid another coughing fit. Relieved, Wolf kept panting until his breaths returned to normal.

Turning to Fox, he noticed the orange vulpine gazing intensely at him. The vulpine's eyelids drooped until they were nearly closed, and his lowered his head. It was as if he was saying, "Looks like it's over, huh?"

Wolf nodded once, his eyes closed. Fox let out a sigh, then grimaced. He opened his mouth, but only a gasp came out. Fox closed his mouth, and a determined look settled on his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth. In a split second, his eyes opened wide, surprised as words formed from his exhausted vocal box. "Damn," he said. Wolf gave a small grin. He never thought he'd feel a smile on his face ever again.

"I know," he responded. Fox's ears, sensitive as ever, picked up on the rough effort Wolf used just to speak. Fox, though battered and gasping for life, was still in a more tolerable state than the gray lupine sitting next to him.

Silence hung over them like a thick blanket. As the minutes ticked by, Wolf slowly felt his strength return to his exhausted arms and legs. The throbbing in his head subsided a bit, leaving only a numb feeling behind.

As his feelings returned, so did the anger that remained from the struggle against his father. He thought back to all that had happened the past couple of days. Fighting merciless enemies, facing fears, and dealing with serious mental, physical and emotional strain, and it all came down to dying of starvation in a dimly-lit room? Wolf shook his head. Never.

"Get...out...we have to get out," he muttered. His volume barely surpassed a whisper. His eyes narrowed. His mouth curled into a snarl, his fangs exposed and gleaming in the dim glow of the screen. His glare flashed over to Fox as his breaths grew deeper. He spoke again, his tone darker. "We can't stay here. We can't stay, or..."

"...we die." Wolf turned to Fox, whose gaze on the ground seemed to burn holes into the black surface. The orange vulpine's tone remained even, matching Wolf's. He turned to face Wolf head-on once again. His next words were close to silent; without the canine's gift of powerful hearing, Wolf would have missed it. "And that can't happen," whispered Fox, "can it?"

Wolf nodded. "It can't," he responded. His voice remained clear. "It won't."

Fox nodded in agreement, then he suddenly tensed up. On the back of his neck, the wispy, copper-toned strands of fur spiked up. He closed his eyes, concentrating. His ears stuck straight up in the air, trembling from an unseen effort. Wolf opened his mouth to ask what Fox was doing, but the fox cut him off. "Listen," he said.

Wolf slowly closed his eyes, cutting off his limited view of the darkened room. He felt his canine ears perk up, and his senses enabled him to catch the slightest trace of nearing footsteps.

"Wolf," Fox whispered. "If for some reason we don't make it out alive, I need you to know...you're really not as cold-blooded and heartless as everyone says."

Wolf slowly opened his right eye, glancing over at Fox. He saw the vulpine, still stiff at attention, focused on the wall facing them. However, his green eyes were wide open, and though he didn't make any eye contact with the lupine, Wolf still felt the honest sincerity of his words. As Wolf opened his mouth to respond, however, a low hissing noise broke the silence half a second quicker.

The hiss sounded like a puff of gas being released from a storage tank, and a small cloud of dust gathered underneath a section of the opposite wall. A camouflaged panel of the wall slowly pulled up, revealing a hidden hallway. Two guards stood at attention on the other side; huskies outfitted in outdated military uniforms. Each were armed with machine guns. The third figure was cloaked in blackness, so much so that the two mercenaries had to strain just to see his outline. His clawed hand grasped the shoulder of fourth figure; though the blackness made it impossible to be completely sure, this being seemed to be bound as tightly as Wolf and Fox.

The cloaked figure nodded, and the guards took positions on either side of the panel, weapons aiming at the heads of the two captives. Chuckling, the darker silhouette pushed the remaining figure forward. The force of the shove caused the bound figure to collapse to th ground, and in the glow of the faint light the two canines immediately recognized who it was.

"General?" Fox asked. Wolf's expression matched; a look of surprise and confusion crossing his face.

"Yes, Fox," wheezed the old hound. "They have captured me, just to get you here. I don't know what they want with O'Donnell, but they wanted you here so-"

The hound gasped for breath as the wind was knocked out of him. Stealthily, the cloaked figure had approached the General, and had kicked him in the ribs when he felt the hound would repeat too much information.

"That's enough, General."

Fox's eyes burned with fury. He couldn't stand to see his beloved General, who had aided him through his father's death and had been assisting him on all his missions, moaning in pain on the cold floor. The General had been through several huge wars, and had almost succumbed to a deadly infection during the invasion of the Aparoids. He went through all that, not for himself but for his people. The General's courage, in Fox's mind, rivaled that of his own father's.

Rage boiled through his arms, legs, and skull. Fox wanted nothing more than to cut through his bindings and lunge at the cloaked figure. He wanted to send the enemy to a world of hurt. But a smarter, calmer part of his mind restrained him. He couldn't lose his cool, otherwise he could make a bad move and all would be doomed. Fox breathed deeply, gritting his teeth to try and fight back the anger blazing within him.

Wolf, however, simply watched the ordeal. Not a trace of emotion escaped onto his face. He wasn't too fond of the General, after placing such a large bounty over his crew's heads, but didn't believe he deserved the kind of inhumane attention he was undeniably receiving. A part of him was relieved, because he now knew who the true enemy was. The main target.

Slowly, the cloaked figure turned its unseen face to Wolf and Fox. "Fox McCloud and Wolf O'Donnell. The two best mercenary captains in all of Lylat. One proclaimed as a hero, savior of his people. The other, a ruthless adversary, considered a dangerous threat to all citizens." A chuckle escaped from the black hood. "Who would have thought they would ever team up in battle?" Fox and Wolf watched the figure shake its head. "Of course, stars must burn out eventually..." he trailed off, then spoke again. His words grew sharper, colder. "...but we are not stars. As space animals, our lives can either slowly burn out, like the stars glittering above us. Or, our lives can end abruptly, leaving not a trace behind."

The figure leaned towards the two canines. "I believe I have already selected which direction your paths will take," it whispered menacingly, "and I am willing to see just how abruptly a star can fade."

Slowly, two clawed hands grasped the hood of the figure. The hood fell back, finally revealing the face of the enemy. Before Fox and Wolf stood a tiger. But this was no ordinary tiger. Its claws were razor-sharp and coated with iron. Its fur was a metallic silver, and the horizontal stripes crossing its body were black as ink. Examining the foe, Fox and Wolf realized it was missing an arm and leg; about half of the tiger's whole body was artificial. The grotesque being before them was really half machine. Its armor was made entirely out of different metals. Even its face was divided between flesh and machinery. An iron mask shielded the left portion of its face; the only flash of color was a small red light where an eye should have been. On the right side of the tiger's face, a golden-toned eye glared evilly at the mercenaries.

The half-tiger, half-machine monstrosity opened its arms wide, threw its head back, and let out an sinister laugh. Then, its neck snapped forward, and the morphed tiger crouched before Fox and Wolf. It's mouth curled into a maniacal grin that could only be summed up one way: pure evil.

"Welcome to the darkness."

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**Wow, this is a short chapter. Sorry 'bout leaving StarFox and StarWolf out of the past 2 chapters, but I felt this portion belonged to just Fox and Wolf. The enemy is finally revealed, and the climax is ready to begin. Grab some popcorn, it's gonna get interesting. R/R if you liked/hated/whatever. Alright, later!**


	16. Final Showdown: Fox

**Hi everyone! It's crunch time in this story, I think. The next few chapters I've been thinking about, and my ideas are sorta swirling around in no particular order, so please bear with me. This chapter is about Fox, but even if you're not a huge Fox fan (which I hope you are) you probably should read it anyway, 'cuz then you won't really get the next chapter. Alright, that's it for me, so...enjoy!**

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24 hours have passed since the combined mercenary teams retreated. The two remaining members of Starwolf were allowed to stay aboard the Great Fox, so they'd be available for assistance in case a trace of the two missing captains appear. The rest of Starfox, still missing their leader, adjusted well to their new passengers, even though the hotheaded Falco still got into a scuffle with Leon every once in awhile, though nothing serious has happened between the two. Panther, always the gentleman, restrained from entering Krystal's room, and in return she acted kindly towards the big cat. For the time being, the rivalry hanging between the two teams was lifted.

On solid ground, Peppy looked up at the sky over his office. Even at his older age, the hare felt the same way about the sky as he did when he was flying through it. He was dazzled by its emptiness, its surprising comfort, and most importantly, its size. Mesmerized by its width, he often wondered if it could hold the answers to every question ever asked, every idea ever thought, every dream ever imagined. You'd need a pretty big space to hold all that.

Shifting his gaze to the few framed pictures littering his desk, he sighed. Only two snapshots were present on his cluttered desk, otherwise filled with obnoxious paperwork. One photograph was of him and his wife, Vivian, at their wedding. Though lined with wrinkles, his face still resembled his joyful complexion in the picture. The happiest day of his life.

The other snapshot was of himself, wearing his old flight uniform. There was only one other figure in the shot: an orange-tinted vulpine, wearing an identical outfit to the young hare. The only difference in his uniform was the black sunglasses adorning his face. Peppy lifted the frame, bringing it to his face.

"He can't be dead, James," he whispered. "Especially not if he's the same fox I knew. The same fox you raised." He took a shaky breath. "He can't be dead, if he's your son."

Peppy lifted a paw to his face, wiping away the stray tear that had suddenly appeared in the corner of his left eye. "We'll find him James. Or he'll find us. He's been through so much. No way will he let this bring him to the end. Not without a fight."

For the first time since Fox's disappearance, Peppy allowed a true smile to melt onto his worn face. "He'll make you proud, James. He'll make us all proud. I'm sure wherever he is, he knows you're watching him."

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The cyborg tiger, after his dramatic entrance, slowly neared the bound captives. Fox felt the ropes binding his chest fall to the black floor, and the one around his feet fall as well. Before he could blink, he felt the forearms of one of the guards shoving up his armpits. He was lifted to his feet, dangling from the guards' grasp.

Before he could swing his lower body back, attempting to hit the guard holding him, he felt something strong grip onto his ankles. He looked up to see the grinning tiger, holding him up so he looked like a medical stretcher draped between the two enemies. As he was carted into an adjacent room, he heard the tiger call out to the other guard.

"Watch the other two," he commanded. His raspy, deep voice reverberated through the dark room. Fox sighed as he was brought into what resembled a dungeon of sorts. The minuscule room was bare, apart from the four cuffs chained to the wall. He felt his wrists and ankles being locked into the tough cuffs, and soon enough he was left to dangle from the wall like a hopeless spider caught in its own web.

His captor rolled his head towards the door, silently forcing the guard to leave. He attempted to make eye contact with Fox as the guard proceeded to the door, but failed; Fox refused to glance up from the ground.

After the slam of the door echoed through the small room, the tiger nodded. Fox heard his footsteps as he paced around before the chained vulpine.

"Fox McCloud," the tiger began. "Savior of the Lylat System. Hero of Corneria." He gestured his head toward the door once again. "Rival of Wolf O'Donnell. Or is that no longer true?" Fox still held his gaze towards the dusty floor, though his ears remained perked up in the air.

"Oh, and let's not forget leader of the famous Starfox team. Best of the best. Your role in the Lylat War was so prominent, you managed to bring a good meaning to the term 'mercenary'." The tiger stopped his pacing. "That is not easy to do."

The tiger paused a second, then continued. "You know, McCloud...there's something different about you. You're the child prodigy of one of the best Lylat pilots in history. You aced your military training with flying colors. You've faced a power-hungry dictator without using any technological weaponry, a machinery-infecting virus, and a planet's entire army...and have won every time. Alone, you faced a crazed yet brilliant scientist, who had defeated one of the most skilled flyers of all time - your own father - and had brought an entire planet under his control...and destroyed him. More than once I might add." His voice lowered a bit. "And through it all, you remain calm, never allowing yourself to get too out of control. You always have some sort of a backup plan, and analyze every problem you face. You rarely show too much emotion, especially fear. That's what amazes me about you the most. You practically have no fears at all." He chuckled. "You, Fox McCloud, are definitely something different."

Fox wondered where this psychotic tiger was going with his speech. All he'd said so far was Fox's life story. Resisting the urge to speak up, Fox continued to listen.

The tiger once again broke the cold silence. "Of course, you're probably wondering who I am." Fox's ear twitched involuntarily, but the tiger took it as an invitation to continue. "Before Andross Oikanny built any of his weaponry, he always believed he needed a way to make it better, more efficient. To find out how, he'd come to me. I took his basic ideas and made them better, stronger. Also, I showed him some ideas of my own. If I had gotten my way, the army of Venom would not have fallen." Fox picked up on a small tone of pride and regret in his voice. "I'm the true brain behind Venom's weapons and machinery."

Finally, Fox looked up. "You...created Andross' weapons." Rather than a question, it came out as a statement. His eyes narrowed at the tiger. "That means you have more ideas."

The tiger grinned. "You're obviously leader for a reason," he spoke. "Yes, I have more ideas. More ways to rebuild what that fool Andross started. More methods to gain control of Lylat." His evil smile

widened.

"Before I can conquer this system, however, I must destroy the one thing standing in my way." His grin disappeared, replaced by a menacing expression. "And that one thing is you."

The foe's hand flashed to his side, and out of what appeared to be thin air a switchblade appeared. He held the knife so that the business end rested directly aside Fox's right eye. "Now, hold still." A stinging shock ran down the line the blade created on Fox's face, but he refused to give the tiger the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. He somehow kept his yelp of pain deep in his throat as he smelled the warm blood trickling down his face.

The tiger laughed cruelly, clearly relishing the sight of blood spurting from the cut beside Fox's eye. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. He bent so that he was at eye-level with the vulpine. Using the very tip of the blade, he pulled down the lower eyelid of Fox's left eye His one eyebrow furrowed in concentration. "Hmm, you still show no fear," he said, searching for some emotion in the vulpine's green eyes. Even using the fact that a blade was a millimeter from poking his eye out didn't bring up any emotion in the fox's eyes.

He stepped back, chuckling. "Still no fear in those eyes of yours. That's pretty remarkable. Now I get what that vixen sees in you."

"Krystal," Fox whispered. For the first time since entering the room, he made full eye-contact with his captor. His eyes widened, and the tiger noticed a deep anger burning in his light-colored eyes. "What will you do with them?" His voice was a harsh whisper.

"Ah, your team. Well, after I take control of Lylat, I will most likely have them imprisoned for life. If any object, of course," the tiger leaned closer, "they will immediately be executed." Fox's eyes narrowed, and his mouth curled into a wordless snarl. "However, I will make sure they see you one last time," the cyborg continued. "Well, what you used to be, at least. Before your body is properly disposed of, you will be presented to your team. The cut on your face will leave a scar, and that scar will be a reminder to anybody else who stands in my way."

"Look, you sadistic freak-" Fox started, but was cut off by a psychotic laugh from the tiger.

"Sadistic? Believe me, I am far from that," the tiger spoke. "After your team sees you one last time, your body will be preserved." A look of confusion must have crossed Fox's face, because the tiger decided to elaborate. "One of my many scientific works was a way to preserve someone's body as well as their soul. I have a special, hidden chamber where I keep the victims I have killed. When needed, I put the souls into new bodies." Fox's confused expression was replaced with one of disgust, which just made the cyborg tiger laugh.

"I meant to show the chamber to Andross, but I figured he'd just screw it up." Fox's eyes widened, and the tiger continued. "In your physical state, you'll be more than useful in helping me take over Lylat."

Fox was quiet a moment, then spoke up. "So, you're not after me for revenge. You want me to prove that you can take over the Lylat System. The whole reason I'm here is to prove how good you are. And that you deserve the credit Andross received."

The tiger was a bit surprised at how calmly Fox figured out and reflected his whole plan, but still grinned. "That is why you're here. Once people find out how I destroyed the legendary Fox McCloud, they will finally realize my true potential. Then, they'd have no choice but to surrender to me, and I would conquer the Lylat System."

Fox's mind raced. If he were to die here, his body would become a void, a shell for some lifeless thug bent on capturing his world. All under the command of the one who killed him.

The same burning fury he'd felt before blazed through him once again. Here he was, nothing but a pawn in some crazy, murderous game. He was being used as a trophy that this sadistic scientist could proudly display to the world as he conquered everything that was important to him.

Fox never felt such a burning desire for destruction towards anything, but this was different. Everything he'd loved was going to be taken from him, and for no reason other than selfish pride. He thought of all he'd encountered. A crazed yet brilliant scientist and his soulless army, who had also murdered his father and torn his family apart – twice. A bloodthirsty dictator, who he'd had to defeat without any advanced weaponry. A machine-infecting virus, which also took living things under its control and bent the minds of its victims. Countless thugs, brutes and foes of every shape, size, and strength.

Now, after everything Fox had been through, he was going to die at the hands at yet another sadistic, psychopathic scientist? No matter that the half-machine that stood before him could possibly pose as a greater threat to Lylat than Andross ever could have been. Fox knew he'd been to hell and back several times, and there was no way he'd be forced to stay there for good.

Fox's breaths grew heavy, and it was time for the tiger to look confused. "What are you playing, McCloud?" He put his non-mechanical paw forward to check Fox's pulse, but in a flash Fox latched his fangs onto him. The tiger let out a shrill cry as pain shot up his arm. Even though he tried desperately to release Fox's grip, the vulpine never let up. Struggling from the cat only caused him to clamp on tighter. The tiger's screams grew louder and louder, until Fox decided he'd gotten enough and released him.

Immediately, Fox spit out the cat's blood that had flowed into his mouth. Before the red liquid touched the ground, the cat had snatched onto Fox's throat. "That was a bad move, Fox," the tiger growled. He held Fox with one paw; the other he shook up and down, trying to stop the pain. "It had better not happen again, if you know what's good for you."

As the tiger pulled away, he left a deep cut on the side of Fox's neck, courtesy of his iron-coated claws. Fox gritted his teeth. As he felt more blood trickle down his throat, the smarter part of his mind kicked in. He needed t get a hold on himself. Taking a deep breath, he felt his heartbeats slow. The anger that had slowly began to control his emotions faded away. He was back.

The cat stepped back, realizing Wolf was still outside. "I gotta go take care of O'Donnell. But I will be back. Remember this, Fox." The cat stepped forward and lifted Fox's shirt up, confusing the vulpine. He felt two deep gashes being etched into his chest. He looked down and saw an X had been cut into him, bleeding profusely.

"For now, that's my name. X. It's the last name you'll ever hear." With that, the tiger left. Fox was left, alone and bleeding from three different cuts. As the door slammed, Fox closed his eyes. His head began spinning from his dramatic loss of blood. In a few moments, he was once again surrounded by blackness.

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**Whoa, this chapter took awhile. I tried to get everything in that I meant to, but I probably forgot some stuff. Couldn't remember all of it I guess. R/R, and look out for Wolf's chapter! Later!**


	17. Final Showdown: Wolf

**Hey, everyone! More final stuff time! So we all know what happened to Fox, right? If not, you should probably click on that chapter, 'cuz it shows (sorta) who the villain is. Now it's Wolf's turn to meet this foe. Let's see what happens. Review, even if ya hated it! Alright, enjoy the show...**

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"Get OUT!"

"Ya gotta ask politely, 'else I'm headin' nowhere."

"Fine, I'm politely TELLING you to GET OUT BEFORE I RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

"Now, that ain't askin', is it?"

An aggravated Leon, shouting, attacked the bathroom door with clenched fists. The frequent thumping against the barricade echoed through the immense spacecraft. Falco chuckled from inside the washroom as he heard a glass fall and shatter against the wooden floors outside. He really wasn't doing anything inside, besides leaning against the door and taunting the frustrated chameleon. Many would consider it an act of obnoxious foolishness, but Falco preferred revenge. He hadn't gotten a full night's since God-knows-when, due to Leon's constant, surprisingly ear-splitting snoring.

"I mean it, bird. OPEN UP!"

"Not 'till you stuff somethin' up y'nose at night. How th'hell can Wolf have the energy tofly 'round and do merc crap when he never gets any sleep? Y'can't hear y'self THINK at night 'cuz'a you!"

Leon had to pause a second and interpret what Falco had just said. The avian talked in strange slang and slurs when he was tired. "Well, how does Fox put up with your obnoxious sarcasm and annoying habit of NEVER SHUTTING UP? I mean, I'm sure he has a tough time even UNDERSTANDING you!"

Leon's eyes widened with surprise as Falco pulled open the door. His eyes were full of anger. "He understood me FINE. He never had a damn problem understanding me. What I don't get is why everybody ELSE does!" With that, Falco stalked down the hallway to his room, muttering random nonsense.

Panther, who had heard the commotion, walked over to the stunned Leon. The chameleon's mouth hung open as he watched the blue bird huff down the corridor. "What's his problem?" Leon finally asked after a moment.

Panther thought a bit, "Hmm." Leon turned to him, wondering what sort of dumb answer the cat would respond with. Though an excellent pilot, Panther could sometimes be a bit slow when it comes to...well...thinking. "I got it!" Panther finally exclaimed. "Birdie PMS!" His mouth was curled into a joking grin, but it slowly faded away when he turned to Leon, who had a disgusted look on his face.

"That...was awful." And with that, Leon turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction, leaving only a confused cat standing alone.

Meanwhile, Falco trudged into his messy room. He slammed the door with so much force his eyes were squeezed shut. His eyes were still closed as his foot caught on the leg of his desk chair. Collapsing onto his unmade bed face-first, his eyes finally shot open.

"Wha?" he asked as the breath was knocked out of him. Laying there, he felt at peace for the first time in what felt like forever. He closed his eyes, feeling the events over the last few days...was it a week yet?...wash over him. Life on the Great Fox had been flip-flopped: their rivals were staying with them, and they couldn't take on any large, high-paying missions without their leaders.

Falco let out a frustrated sigh, pulling himself up to a sitting position. The leaders. Not a word, not a sign, not a trace of the two canines had been discovered and tracked down anywhere. Pepper was trying to convince the Cornerian Army to send forces out, but nobody volunteered; if the great Starfox team couldn't penetrate through enemy forces than nobody would.

Falco thought back to what he'd said to Leon. Fox never had a problem understanding the tough, distant avian. He knew all of Falco's slang language, of course, but there was more. Fox truly listened to Falco's problems, and actually seemed to care. Falco had never found anybody who he could tell his issues to, whether they were minute or massive, and afterward feel a sort of comfort being returned back to him. Sure, others listened, but only with one ear half-open. Fox, on the other hand, listened with everything he had.

"Never had a problem understanding me..." Falco trailed off as he repeated his previous words. He looked out the window, staring up at the sky. "I need ya, Fox."

Little did he know that Leon, that cold-blooded assassin, was currently lying down on his own makeshift bed, thinking the same about his missing leader. Him and Wolf were like brothers, always sticking up for each other, even when the times were rough. Sure, Wolf rubbed lots of people the wrong way, and nearly everyone though Leon was a complete psycho. Their alienation was what brought them together.

In their near-death situation, Fox and Wolf struggled to find some sort of light in the blackness which contained them. If only they knew that they would always be remembered, no matter what. Forever.

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Only about fifteen minutes had passed since Fox disappeared into the barren chamber. However, the secret tricks the darkness used against one's mind fixated Wolf into thinking it had been hours, possibly days. His frazzled brain produced frantic thoughts that echoed through his numbed skull: Was he fit to die here? Was this truly how he was leaving this life? And did his one chance for survival just get carried through that door?

Wolf's attitude was always a bit harsher towards others. Growing up, he caused trouble trying to interact with everyone around him. Whether it was biting taunts or physical violence, trouble seemed to trail the gray wolf since he was a young pup. Now matured, his normal behavior towards others was distant, but he succeeded in trying to put up with most.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. And Wolf's exception was none other than Fox McCloud. Ever since Wolf fought against James McCloud when he was barely a year older than Fox, he'd never found the foxes all too tolerable in general. He still clearly remembered when he was shot down by James' legendary piloting skills, forcing him to crash onto barren Fichina. The lasers that had dug into his ship also seemed to dig a deep hole of hatred towards James within Wolf's heart. When Wolf discovered that James' only son had it out for him too, Wolf's feelings of hate only intensified. Since their first encounter, Wolf had always considered Fox a chief rival.

Once again, certain circumstances call for exceptions to the rules. Forced together by fate's unpredictable ways, the rivals realized neither could survive alone. Grudgingly, the two temporarily joined forces to defeat the many enemies they'd faced over the past days.

Now, as his rival's time in the closed-off room stretched to twenty minutes, Wolf's mind wandered to the scene unfolding behind the sealed door separating him from Fox and his half-robotic captor. He grew frustrated from being unable to see what was happening; the steel door only had a minute window etched into it, about the size of a typical photograph. The metals that formed the door also blocked out nearly all the noise; Wolf only heard muffled dialogue and was unable to make out any of the words.

Wolf's gaze shifted to the General, still bound and lying on the ground. The hound was stretched out, back to the floor. Every minute or so, he'd inhale too much and break into a coughing frenzy. The guard that had assisted in dragging Fox into his chamber stood over him, arms crossed. The other guard, who had been assigned to watching Wolf, was peeking through the door's tiny window, watching the interaction between the tiger and fox inside.

"Hey, Bo!" The guard watching Pepper turned around, calling to the other guard. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothin' yet, Pax. The fox kid is bleedin' from this nasty cut right by his eye. Looks like the master did it. He's not sayin' anythin'." A pause, then the still silence was broken by the guard's slurred speech. "Master's just goin' on an' on, sayin' somethin' 'bout his experiments an' whatnot. Funny, you ain't supposed to hear anythin' goin' on in there, but I hear 'em clear as day. Doesn't look like the foxie's listenin'."

"Can't blame 'em," Pax muttered under his breath. Wolf hardly picked up on the muted dig from the guard.

"Now the fox is talkin'...geez, I can't hear him at all. Soft-spoken fella. Master's laughin' at 'em. Man, I don't get where this is goin'..."

_Neither do I_, Wolf thought. Sounds like this tiger can rival Panther when it comes to talking about nothing continuously.

"Wait...oh, god! The fox just bit Master's arm! It's bleedin' like crazy!" Just then, Wolf heard shrieks of pain echoing from the room. The General's guard must have picked up on it, too, because his eyes grew wide. Wolf couldn't help but grin a little bit at Fox's daring antics, but it quickly faded with Bo's next observation.

"Alright, the fox let go. Now the Master's got 'em in a chokehold! Holy shit, this is gettin' intense! Hmm, he let go...but he musta cut 'em when he was grabbin' his throat! Now he's bleedin' from his neck AND face! Alright, I think he's leavin'...wait, he jus' turned back, and...WHAT THE HELL?!?"

"Wha? What's he doin'?" Pax asked excitedly, his curiosity peaking.

"He's liftin' up the fox's shirt! What, he gonna frickin' rape 'em or somethin'? He's doin' somethin' to 'em...ugh, nasty. He carved a big ol' X into the fox's chest! Damn, there's so much blood! Sick!"

Wolf's breaths grew quicker. What if Fox loses too much blood? Is Wolf set to suffer the same fate? Paranoia sent his mind into a frenzy. His heartbeat raced as the tiger opened the door. Looking past him, Wolf's line of vision was met with a gruesome sight.

Fox was chained to a stone wall opposite the door. His eyes were closed; his normally copper fur was matted and stained with dry blood. Red liquid oozed all over him, slowly dripping to the floor. Wolf gaped at the pool of blood growing rapidly beneath the suspended vulpine. He also saw deep cuts on Fox's neck and the left side of his face. But it was the mark of an X on Fox's chest that sent the deepest shot of fear into Wolf. Fox's current state rocked Wolf to his core; never in a million years would he have imagined Fox anywhere near the situation he was now in.

Wolf's eyes darted to the cyborg tiger, whose teeth were gritted in pain. Several small punctures were present in the feline's right arm, and red liquid poured from the wound. It took all of Wolf's power to stop himself from grinning at the tiger's blood-coated arm.

"Are you alright, Master?" Bo approached the tiger cautiously; Wolf noticed how mature his speech had suddenly become. He silently applauded the guard's feigned look of concern.

"I'm fine. Just a...flesh wound." The tiger padded over to the General and kneeled beside him. He pulled two small pills out from a hidden section of his armor, and held them out to the hound. "I suggest you take these, if you wish to live." Fear shot into the hound's bloodshot eyes. The weak general, with a trembling paw, took the pills and popped them into his mouth. A few moments later, General Pepper had fallen into a deep, medicated slumber.

"Pax! Bo!" The tiger growled suddenly. The two guards immediately stood at attention. "Get out," the cat ordered. "Me an' O'Donnell are gonna have a little talk." His gaze followed the two guards as they walked back through the hidden panel in the wall, and remained there as the wall suddenly reappeared behind them.

The tiger's look shifted towards the bound Wolf. "Nothing to say, O'Donnell? Quite strange." Chuckling, the tiger flipped the chair Fox had occupied just moments before and spun it so that it's back faced the side of Wolf's head. Lazily, the tiger collapsed into the chair, his arms resting on its back. Wolf refused to make eye contact, boiling with rage at this carefree tiger who might have just killed his one temporary ally. Knowing his inner instincts, Wolf would probably try to rip the feline's arm off if he made eye contact.

The cyborg tiger sighed impatiently. "What is WITH you two? Neither of you uttering a word, staring off into space or something." He waved his metal-coated hand in front of Wolf's stolid face. "Anything goin' on up there?" He balled his artificial hand into a fist, then lightly knocked on Wolf's skull.

Without warning, Wolf suddenly turned in his seat, his eyes now head-on with the tiger's. One natural eye stared back at him, surprise evident in its golden coloring. Where his other eye should have been, a dulled red light stared back at him. Though it was impossible for the tiger to pick up, Wolf was silently restraining himself from lashing out at the half-robotic cat.

"Don't touch me," Wolf growled in an ominous whisper. His purple eyes narrowed at the captor. However instead of acting fearful from the wolf's harsh words, the tiger grinned.

"Finally, you talked," he said. In response, Wolf's mouth curled into a snarl.

"I was surprised, actually, that you didn't immediately try to kill me," the tiger continued, ignoring Wolf's snarl completely. "I was also surprised that you didn't tell me off. Usually you can't be in a room with someone for over five seconds without giving 'em a piece of your mind." Wolf rolled his eyes, though they were still narrowed.

"That's just one of the many, many differences between you and McCloud. He's more reserved, you have no problem with voicing your thoughts." A growl nearly escaped Wolf's throat, but he held it back at the last second.

"I've been watching you two as you walked around this planet. The way you two fight together." Wolf's eyes widened slightly; if this cat knew how they fought, he'd be a much harder foe to defeat. "Your attitudes are reflected in your combat styles. You normally charge at an enemy, staying on the offensive. Fox normally holds back, tending to be more defensive. You also can take out multiple enemies easier than Fox can, and he's slightly better at slowly taking down a bigger enemy." Wolf forced himself to look ahead, but he listening to the cat's words.

The feline chuckled a bit, then continued. "Of course, there was the time you two first met on this planet. That was probably the first time I've ever seen Fox like that, but what do I know? I'm sure you know better." In Wolf's mind, he reflected back to their paths crossing unexpectedly, Wolf attempting to attack Fox, and Fox pinning him forcefully to the ground. He recalls thinking the same thing the cat just said: Fox was definitely on the offensive that day.

"Of course, there's your physical differences as well. Naturally, you have the upper hand in strength, and you have those claws to do some damage. Fox is faster, obviously, and is more agile and flexible. Together, you two are practically unstoppable." Wolf was confused. Why was his captor practically complimenting him? It made no sense.

"However, you two have more in common than you think...or choose to think. Both of you have that leadership quality, which is very hard to come by. You never let anything get in the way of what you're sent to do. You never let your guard down. Also, you both think quickly on your feet. You never let a ton of enemies get to your heads. And of course, you're best at what you do. The reason you two are rivals, deep down, is probably because you both know there's nobody better."

The tiger's words sunk into Wolf's confused, angry mind. Was that the reason Wolf and Fox managed to get this far? The crazed feline had a point: they had a lot in common. And that may be why they were truly rivals.

Wolf looked up at the feline. The glowing red light on his face bore into him, and his non-artificial eye showed no emotion. Finally, Wolf spoke. "Whatever you're trying to pull, cat, it ain't gonna work. I don't fall for that false modesty crap. So you may as well shut up now."

The tiger's eyebrows raised. In one fluid moment, he dug his metallic claws into Wolf's shoulder. Wolf growled, feeling the pain shoot up his shoulder. He felt the sticky blood oozing down his arm, clinging to his gray fur. Soon, his arm's appearance mirrored the tiger's, the one Fox bit into. The tiger, whose claws were still embedded in Wolf's injured shoulder, leaned down so he was at eye-level with the lupine. "If I were you, I'd watch your mouth."

Wolf's experienced eyes caught the anger flashing in the golden eyes of his captor. He was angry from Wolf's comment. Anger was the one emotion most commonly used to drive someone over the edge. In his current state, Wolf had to rely on his mind to think of a way to piss the tiger off so much that his fury will take control of his common sense.

Through the pain, Wolf managed a grin. "Why...would I...do that?" Wolf's breaths were ragged as he spit out the words. "It's not like...you can do anything about it." He gritted his teeth as the tiger's claws dug deeper into his shoulder. Wolf felt as though a steel probe was being implanted into his body, or that he was getting a nail hammered into him.

"What was that?" The tiger roared, sensing Wolf's pain. "Try talking again, O'Donnell. Then you will feel true pain." The tiger let out a maniacal laugh. "Right now, you're just getting a taste," he said, putting his other paw above Wolf's right eye, claws extended. He leaned closer to Wolf's ear. "Just a taste," he whispered menacingly. Wolf felt the tiger's paw scratching deep into his forehead, and smelled the red liquid gushing from it. He closed his eye, feeling the blood trickle down his eyelid. Between the massive amounts of blood spurting from his aching shoulder and stinging eye, Wolf was having a tough time holding onto consciousness.

His blurred thoughts somehow focused on Fox, who was still chained to that wall. He remembered the last image he'd witnessed of the young vulpine. Soaking in his own blood, Fox's fur coloring was practically impossible to make out underneath all the dried, red liquid caked on top of him. Wolf thought back farther, to when they'd defeated all those thugs sent after them. When that mutilated black vulpine was attacking Fox. When Fox offered to help him fight the reincarnated form of his dead father.

Wolf's mind returned to the fox in that darkened room. He was trapped, like a butterfly caught in a display, with its wings pinned down. Wolf blinked, trying to clear up his thoughts, which were shrouded in confusion. He'd never seen Fox vulnerable. Not once had the vulpine ever seemed so small, so helpless. Even if he was one of the most famous military heroes in the Lylat System, he was still young, still had feelings. He wasn't invincible, like everyone thought. Even he could be vulnerable.

Something stirred deep inside Wolf. He heard himself speaking, his past words echoing in his head. _What I do know is that thing...is still out there. Somewhere. And I can't take him down alone. _The next thing he heard was Fox's voice.

_Alright, Wolf. I will._

Wolf closed his eyes, suddenly free from the pain coursing through him for just a moment. Fox had kept his promise to Wolf. He'd help Wolf take down his biggest fear. And somehow, Wolf felt as though he'd made a promise to Fox. One of them had to survive. Wolf knew that if he needed a reason to survive, it would be Fox. He owed it.

"Y'know," Wolf struggled with the words, "you probably shouldn't knock me unconscious, otherwise you aren't really keeping me as a captive. You can't do anything with me if I'm unconscious." He felt the tiger rip his claws out from Wolf's shoulder, leaving a stinging burn behind. Wolf was surprised. Had the tiger actually believed the crap he'd just made up? Newbie.

The tiger looked straight into Wolf's lavender eye. His right eye was still closed, and possibly sealed shut from the dry blood caked on it. "Point taken, O'Donnell." Grinning, he forced his steel-covered fist into Wolf's gut. A cry of pain escaped from the lupine's lungs, which were suddenly losing air. The force of the blow made him involuntarily open his right eye, as he gasped for a breath. He attempted to lean forward, but was restrained by the ropes still binding him. Wolf gulped down the thinning air around him. He never got a chance to truly regain himself, however, as another blow of pain erupted from the left side of his face. The forceful collision from the tiger's hand snapped his head to the side, but Wolf didn't dare cry out again.

He'd felt something in his neck crack, and realized he'd been unable to move it since he regained consciousness. Since the blow caused something in his neck to snap back together, his joints were able to move again. Silently, he thanked the tiger for his lucky shot, then shook his head as an attempt to relieve the pain throbbing from the side of his face.

"Have any other tips?" The tiger laughed, pacing around the lupine. Suddenly, Wolf had an idea. Concentrating, he felt the familiar swish of his tail swaying behind him. As the tiger neared the back of his chair, Wolf did some quick calculations. Fully standing, the tiger towered over the seated Wolf. He silently prayed his plan would work, then listened as the clank of metallic boots echoed around the chair.

When he heard the feline's footsteps behind him, he lashed out his tail in the tiger's general direction. He grinned with satisfaction as he felt his tail smack into something. He wrapped his tail around the unknown object and pulled. His grin widened as he felt the reverberations of something heavy collapsing to the ground. He turned to his left to see a stunned tiger splayed out on the ground.

Working quickly, Wolf fidgeted his paws behind his back until he felt one of his claws make contact with the thick rope binding his wrists. Frantically, he rubbed his claw against the rope, feeling the threads fall apart one by one. As the tiger leaped to his feet, Wolf cursed under his breath. He was only halfway through the rope.

Wolf kept his gaze on the angered feline, still desperately trying to saw his way out of his binds. He felt a small bead of sweat mingle with the dried blood matting his fur as more strands fell apart behind him. His eyes widened as he cut faster, faster...

The feline roared in anger as he raised his metal paw above his head. His claws gleamed in the dim light. As he threw his arm towards Wolf's head, he roared, "This game is OVER, Wolf!"

Before his could make contact with Wolf, he noticed a small smile curl onto the lupine's face. Just inches from his head, one of Wolf's freed paws grasped the attacker's wrist. Without blinking, Wolf had blocked the tiger's murderous swipe. As his other arm cut effortlessly through the rope binding his legs, Wolf easily held the struggling tiger's trapped arm. Grinning, Wolf pulled the tiger closer, then lashed his leg towards the tiger's face, resulting in the tiger falling to the ground from Wolf's ferocious roundhouse. Wolf sliced through the ropes still taut against his body, then stood over the fallen feline. His mouth was still curled into a mocking smile, but his eyes were ablaze as he cracked his knuckles.

"You're wrong," Wolf said. The tiger heard the anger and malice in his voice. "This game has just begun."

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**Oh my god, this chapter was so hard. For some reason, the last chapter took me like 20 minutes, but this took way longer. Also, I don't think it's as good as the last chapter. Maybe it's harder for me to take it from Wolf's perspective? I don't know. Leave reviews if you liked it or wanted to kill yourself, and if anyone has ANY preferences during the intense (and I mean INTENSE) next chapter, please lemme know. Oh, and if Falco's slang makes any sense. Alright, have a good one!**


	18. Final Showdown Part 1

**Don't you hate writing big points in a story? I think it's hard. Thinking of a main plot line, making sure every single detail is in check...and after all that, it may not even turn out that great! I really hope that doesn't happen with this; I thought about it a lot and desperately tried to piece together all the random snips that I felt I HAD to put in. Here's my result. I'm not calling it a "climax", 'cuz I'm not even sure it's the end. We'll all just have to wait on that one, huh? Okay, here we go...**

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Stillness. Nothingness. Trapped in emptiness, floating through infinity. That's what it felt like. And sometimes, when he really thought about it, he didn't feel like he even existed.

The sensation was not death; it wasn't the end. He knew this. If he were at the end, he wouldn't even know what he was doing. He couldn't possibly have died, because how else would he be thinking? Feeling?

He did a mental self-check. His name was Fox. The name was stupid; he remembered always thinking that. He was a fox. Obviously. He was born on Corneria. He was 27...no, 28? 21? That he couldn't remember. But he could remember his fur...it was copper, sometimes appearing red as fire, sometimes golden, like wheat or the setting sun. His eyes...well, how often did he see his eyes anyway? Green, something told him.

Finally, a sound pierced the silence. A drumbeat. It sounded far-off, but Fox wasn't able to move any closer. He simple closed his eyes and listened. The rhythm seemed familiar somehow...but he still couldn't remember.

Without warning, an echo of a plucked string cut through the pounding of the drums. The twanging of a guitar erupted from opposite the addicting rhythm of the drums, melding with the beats to become some sort of melody.

This melody was not soft, in no way subtle or soothing. The sound was loud, and yet seemed familiar and almost relieving. The music sent a shot of adrenaline through the vulpine. He felt himself almost floating, being carried by the music. Behind him, the notes of the familiar rock ballad followed, lifting him through the abyss. His heart soared as he was taken higher and higher.

Suddenly, he noticed something in the distance. It resembled a big cloud of gas more than anything else. It was mainly a deep purple, identical to a bruise. However, pink flashes reverberated hypnotically from its core. As Fox neared the cloud, it abruptly changed form. Fox looked on as the shrouded, maroon mist before him transformed into what seemed to be a huge hand. The hand reached out, its ghostly fingers growing closer, closer...

Without warning, a bright light cut through the hand like a knife. The hand dissolved, and the mist separated. Fox felt himself traveling through the light-formed path. Beside him, the shadowy cloud gathered around the light, as though trying to get through to him. Fox sped up, watching as the purple gas blurred. After a few seconds, Fox felt something resembling a shove in the center of his back. Then, he was falling. Tumbling through emptiness; a white nothingness closing in on him.

Finally, he realized he'd hit a bottom of sorts. He definitely had stopped falling, as he now lay on his back. He breathed deeply, as thoughts and questions swirled around his dazed mind.

Fox felt it before he heard it. Relieved, he sat up. The music had returned. As the familiar ballad echoed through his ears, Fox closed his eyes. A small smile curled onto his face; for the first time since he could remember, he was finally at peace.

He stayed like this for what felt like forever, but Fox still wanted more. At the same time, his instincts told him otherwise. He knew there was something, or someone, out there. He needed them and they needed him. His fate was not sealed just yet. And even if he wanted to simply drift into the music for the rest of eternity, he knew it couldn't happen. He wouldn't let it.

He stood as the music grew louder. Rather than being in pain from the deafening noise, Fox found relief. The drumbeats matched his racing heartbeat, and the guitar's strings reverberated in his mind. Determination coursed through his veins, mixing with the music. His eyes shot open.

He was back.

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Wolf's eyes narrowed as the fallen enemy slowly got to his feet. The feline was breathing heavily; his shook his head trying to disperse the searing pain throbbing from his head. Wolf's kick was so powerful that it almost made him lose consciousness. He blinked his gold-toned eye repeatedly. How pathetic would that be, fainting from a blow dealt by a freed captive? No he wouldn't allow it; if he was to go down, he'd go in style.

The tiger spoke quietly, his breath still ragged. "Before you go hitting someone...don't you wanna know...who they are?"

Wolf's response was quick and cutting, which was normal for him. "Normally, I don't give a crap about scum like you. But I guess I may as well hear your name, before I beat the crap out of you."

The feline rolled his eyes through his obvious attempt at regaining himself. Wolf couldn't believe how similar the cat was to Panther. "Until the time comes, my name is X. Should be a name Fox will remember forever." Wolf's eyes widened, albeit hardly enough to notice, as he remembered the letter carved into Fox's chest.

Wolf growled, "Well, of course you'll be remembered. You'll be recorded as another sadistic wacko we had to take care of. Now that I think about it, we sorta did need your name so we could write it down."

X retorted, aggravated from Wolf's remark. "You might not want to pick that pen up just yet, O'Donnell."

With that, the tiger charged. A battle cry erupted from his throat. Wolf, grinning, ran forward as well. As the two combatants grew closer, X stopped to throw a punch at Wolf, who seemed to be going too quickly to stop. However, the smile on Wolf's face never faltered as he snapped out his right arm in a flash. Before the cat realized what was happening, Wolf's arm caught him right above his collarbone. The momentum from the rush caused X to complete a full flip in the air. But even though he was covered in armor, he was still a cat. Gingerly, he landed on the ground on a crouch, facing away from Wolf.

The echo of Wolf's footsteps barely kept up with his racing heart as he sprinted towards the cat. X, hearing Wolf coming in close, formulated a plan in his mind. Wolf's mind, too, was speeding up. When Wolf reached the tiger on the ground, he swept his left leg out. X, sensing Wolf's move, whipped around and caught his ankle in midair.

The tiger grinned, expecting to face a look of confusion from Wolf. However, he instead noticed a determined look on the lupine's face. The still silence only lasted a half second. He had taken Wolf's bait.

While balancing on one leg, Wolf shot his right foot at the cat's face. The result was just what he expected. For a split-second, he was completely off the ground; one foot caught in X's grasp, the other colliding with the tiger's face.

The tiger, surprised at the sudden attack, released his hold on Wolf's left foot. His body shifted towards the left as his face took in the impact of Wolf's strike. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wolf kicked his freed leg out at the back of the tiger's legs, knocking X's feet out from under him. As the tiger fell to the floor, Wolf balled up his paw into a fist. When X finally met the floor, Wolf sent his fist straight through the cyborg's armor and into his gut.

X's eyes bulged as he coughed up blood. Hacking on the floor, his red eye and gold eye met with Wolf's lavender ones. Wolf quickly scanned over the cat, noticing the chipped, damaged armor covering his left shoulder. The metal had met with the floor with X's full weight on top of it. Looking back into the cat's natural and artificial eye, Wolf kneeled beside X, using an arm to pin the cat down, and grinned again.

"You didn't play nice, kitty," the lupine mocked as he reached for the shoulder armor. The cat's eyes widened and he struggled to stop Wolf's claws from ripping the machinery off, but Wolf's arm felt like a ton of bricks lying on top of him. He could only watch helplessly as Wolf snapped off the armor.

Wolf faintly noticed something small and black skid across the floor, but he was unable to avert his gaze away from X's exposed shoulder. The fur that was supposed to be covering it was gone, looking as though it had been torn from the roots. X's bare skin was a bright, blood-toned red, covered in bumps, scabs and cuts. Where the outline of the armor had been moments before, there was now a huge gash, oozing blood and pus. Watching the red and yellow trickle down the cat's arm involuntarily caused Wolf's muzzle to open in astonishment.

The cat glared back at him. "You obviously didn't realize how difficult it will be to take me down." He looked back at his shoulder, grimacing. "Torture did this. Years of it. I was captured during a battle, and when they realized how close I was to Andross, the Cornerian military showed no mercy. And yet,I survived." His face contorted into a vicious, almost monstrous snarl. His mouth curled into a growl, exposing his fangs, and his eye burned with fury and anger. "And I know I didn't live and suffer through all that, just to be stopped by two mercs." He spit the last word out at Wolf.

Roaring, X pushed Wolf's arm off of him. He returned to a standing position so quickly that Wolf, still kneeling, could barely register the feline's movement in his mind. As soon as his mind caught up with what was happening, X's foot met with the side of his muzzle. The ferocity of the blow sent Wolf flying across the room, finally colliding with the opposite wall.

The impact caused the General to suddenly open his eyes, his drugged sleep interrupted for the faintest second. "W...Wo..." he attempted, but Wolf shushed him.

"Quiet, General," he spoke quietly as he got to his feet. As soon as he lifted his gaze, he saw X's fist meeting with his stomach. Wolf coughed as the wind was knocked out of him. Using the opportunity, X released a barrage of punches against the defenseless lupine.

After taking in X's violent assault, Wolf had gotten enough. As the tiger reared back to send yet another final blow into Wolf's stomach, Wolf reached out and snatched his wrist. Growling, Wolf stepped forward and sent his knee straight into the cat's stomach. As the cat kneeled over in pain, Wolf raised his right foot. In a flash, he brought his leg down on the cat's back.

X thudded to the ground, face down. The shock of pain from Wolf's axe kick was devastating. Though he'd heard all about it, Wolf's true strength still left the cat appalled. He couldn't believe how much pain one blow had caused him. Combining his power with his knowledge of weak points, and Wolf O'Donnell proved to be a huge threat against any opponent. X wondered how Fox could even stand a chance against the wolf.

Watching the cat collapse, Wolf backtracked to the scene before. The armor. Something had fallen out of it. Slowly, Wolf inched around the room, searching for the tiny black object. Realizing he would never find it by standing, he sunk to his knees and crawled about, stretching his paws out in front of him to try and find the piece.

As Wolf continued his search, X finally grew enough strength to stand. Searching around the room, he finally saw Wolf on the ground. Not deciding to be subtle, he thumped over to the lupine. Wolf, still searching, felt something bump against his paw. He couldn't see it, but it was cool to the touch, almost metallic. This had to be it.

Wolf's eyes were adjusted to the dimness of the room, so it only took a few minutes to see the object. It was a small black key, rusted on the ends. It was crudely made, as though it was made during a much older time. Wolf tried to piece two and two together. Back when keys were still used, rather than fingerprint scanners like they used in modern society, it often resembled the lock it matched to. The black, iron coating of the key clicked something in Wolf's mind. The only sort of metal he'd seen that even slightly resembled this key...was the iron coating of Fox's cuffs.

As this realization hit him, Wolf finally registered how hard he was breathing. He was sore all over; it hurt to even take a deep breath. Every move he made caused his limbs and joints to cry out in agony. Wolf sighed. If he was awake, Fox would sure be some help.

Just as Wolf tightly grasped the key, he felt a heavy weight slam into his back. The force sent him skidding on the ground, but he rolled and jumped to his feet. The tiger was dashing at him, his pace only achieved by someone who was thinking on adrenaline.

And when you're on adrenaline, you make mistakes.

Wolf's cooled mind saw X's next move. As the feline jumped in the air, aiming a kick at Wolf's head, Wolf shifted the key to his left paw. Though he was equally skilled and powerful using either paw, he needed his right one to accomplish his goal.

Wolf shot his right arm at the feline's leg, grasping the ankle. With a grunt, Wolf tossed him at the metal door separating him from Fox. Satisfied with the crunch of metal on metal, he looked on as the tiger stumbled back, dazed. The steel door, due to the impact from X, had a huge dent in it. It barely was attached to its hinges.

X was enraged. He wouldn't allow himself to be thrown like a rag doll! X charged Wolf, fist reared back as he blindly swiped at the lupine. Wolf easily dodged the pathetic shot, then dug his shoulder into the feline's chest. As the cat stumbled back, Wolf approached the door. Mustering up all his energy, he forcefully threw his foot at the door. A whining creak echoed back to him, followed by the door slamming to the ground.

Wolf jumped over the fallen door and, struggling, pushed it back to its original position. From the outside, he heard the feline howl with anger. With the door temporarily back in place, he'd bought himself about two minutes before the maniacal cat got in.

Wolf darted over the the chained vulpine on the far wall. He couldn't help but gasp softly at all the blood dripping down Fox, most of which had dried and crusted to his fur. The X carved into his chest sent bouts of rage coursing through the lupine. He kept scanning the vulpine, and was surprised to see Fox's emerald eyes looking back at him.

"No way," Wolf breathed. "You're awake? I thought you were dead." Fox chuckled, being used to Wolf's usual blunt words.

"Thought I was, too," he replied. "But hey, I made a promise. Can't back out on that. And if we both miraculously manage to survive this hellhole, I don't wanna be the one who everyone had to carry around. No way am I standing around, watching, while this freak get the shit knocked out of him."

"Now we're talkin' the same language," Wolf said. His eyes shifted away from Fox, instead looking at the cuffs chaining him to the wall. After ten seconds of useless looking, he brushed over the sides of the chains with his paw, searching for a keyhole. Finally, he found the hole of the cuff latched onto the vulpine's right wrist. He continued the process until Fox, finally free, fell to the ground.

Fox crouched on the ground, his breaths heavy. He closed his eyes, sucked in as much air as he could, and exhaled. The reverberations of a familiar melody floated through his skull, and his eyes opened. Newly energized, he stood. Nodding at Wolf, Fox looked at the door. Dull pounding noises could be heard behind it, as the cat attempted to enter.

Wolf's heart raced as the sounds grew louder and louder. As the volume increased, so did his heartbeat. His aching body moaned out to him, and he could barely register anything in his frazzled mind. Exhaustion, pain and numbness were starting to seep into him. He felt his energy slowly draining. His legs started trembling, and he felt himself slowly collapsing to the floor. Before he could his the ground, however, he felt something grab his shoulders and hoist him up.

Still in a daze, he looked up to see Fox staring him down. The vulpine had a grip on both his shoulders, trying to restrain Wolf from falling. Fox's eyes narrowed as he examined the look of exhaustion on Wolf's face.

"You alright?" Slowly, Wolf nodded. "Breathe. Get a grip. This is not the time to lose it." Fox slightly shook Wolf as he spoke, praying the lupine was listening. Wolf gulped in air, then slowly felt his thoughts rush back to him. His heart slowed, and he shook his head to rid himself of his weariness.

"I'm fine," Wolf said. Fox gave a small smile, satisfied with Wolf's response. The task before them would be very hard, especially in their current states. But years of experience had taught Fox that you really only need three things in order to win any fight. The first was skill. The second was a clear mind.

The third was trust.

Fox looked over his injuries. It was the first time he really had examined them. The crude X was so grotesque that most would gag just looking at it. But Fox was better than that. It was nothing more than a reminder. A reminder that he knew who he needed to destroy. It was also a reminder that he could do it.

He looked over at Wolf. Even though he was shaky only ten seconds before, his startled look was replaced with one of cool serenity. He licked his lips, appearing almost eager. But Wolf was no bloodthirsty cannibal. In battle, Wolf had a surprisingly logical mind, and his tactful planning could help change the course of any fight. As much trust Fox had in himself, he had in Wolf as well.

Once again, his gaze shifted to the door. He allowed the surge of energy from the anticipation flow through him, and he felt his instinct take control of his mind. When fighting an extremely dangerous enemy, Fox relied on his instincts to guide him through. So far, by either skill or a struck of serious dumb luck, his instinct hasn't failed him yet.

He and Wolf exchanged nods. They were ready.

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**Before anyone gets pissed, I know there was no action in this at all. School's been taking a lot of my time, so even updating is tough. I apologize in advance for this disappointing story, but this is not the end. I will try my hardest to make the next one better. Any advice, let me know. Later!**


	19. Final Showdown Part 2

**Hi, everybody. In my opinion, the last chapter was a major disappointment, but I have some decent ideas for this one. I'm working off of the last chapter, hoping this one will be better. Two quick things:**

**1. Still no Starfox or Starwolf in this chapter, because it's tough to work them into the story right now. Let me know if you want me to make another one of those "extra" things, 'cuz I can probably talk about them there.**

**2. In case you were wondering, the song in the last chapter that Fox heard in his head was supposed to be "I Own You" by Shinedown. THEY ARE AMAZING, look them up on youtube or something!**

**Reviews, as always, are appreciated. Okay, let's do this!**

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The pounding against the steel door grew more and more deafening with each passing second. Knowing they had barely any time left, Fox and Wolf mentally prepared themselves for battle. Both of the experienced fighters tried their best to calm their jittery nerves and clear their heads. Especially in hand-to-hand combat, letting emotions get in the way lead to failure. And when fighting for your life, failure was not an option.

Wolf took deep breaths, desperately trying to stuff as much oxygen as possible down his throat. His heavy breathing soothed him, emptying his thoughts. Just seconds before, he had almost lost it. The cruel mix of anxiety, exhaustion and pain building up inside him numbed his weak muscles, and he came dangerously close to losing consciousness. Right before he hit the ground, however, Fox caught him. A few comforting words from the vulpine, and Wolf found the energy to stand and attempt to gain control of his frazzled nerves.

Now, the oxygen seeping through him brought forth a new sense of serenity, along with the familiar yearning he felt just before a major fight. Combat was what he lived for. Every fight he got into, whether it was in a bar or an arena, he put his heart and soul into. No matter what, he gave his all.

Still, something was bothering him. He heard a whisper from the back of his skull. It was almost impossible to hear, and yet Wolf found he couldn't ignore it. It was a phrase, one he'd heard during his first head-on encounter with the feline adversary. For some undefinable reason, Wolf couldn't stop himself from listening. And, no matter how hard he tried, the whisper was still haunting him.

_He knows your every move...He knows..._

Wolf squeezed his eyelids shut, trying to force himself to block out the repetitive whisper. Unfortunately, there it still was, taunting him. But he refused to allow any sort of facial expression to acknowledge the fact he was battling with a voice in his head. He decided that once the heat of the upcoming fight took over his senses, he wouldn't hear it at all.

He opened his eyes quickly, accepting the quizzical look from Fox and returning with one of his own. "What?"

"You sure you're okay?" Fox asked. This was a big fight, and the last thing Fox wanted was for Wolf to collapse or something.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Wolf huffed. Their gazes were averted to the door, listening as the battered metal slowly gave way. After a few more thumps, the heavy, exhausted door finally collapsed to the ground, revealing the crazed tiger, arms spread and fangs bared, standing before them.

It wasn't difficult to see that X was angry. But anger didn't even begin to describe the expression on the cat's face. The artificial red light emitting from his left eye socket cut through the dim room, cutting through the chamber as menacingly as though it was made of plasma. His natural eye was ablaze with anger, rage...and insanity. His breaths were heavy, and even in the dim light his sharpened, metallic claws glowed.

As he spoke, his voice grew raspier, quieter, and even more malicious with every word. "A game. That's all this was. Ever since you arrived, you have not seen my true potential. I was playing with you two. And you...you think you've fooled me at my own game."

He let out a chuckle, and now his words grew more amplified. "But you're wrong. You don't realize that I am in control of this game. I can never lose, for this game is mine. Like a little girl, playing with a tea set. But unlike a little girl, I don't spill tea." He took a solid step forward, but Fox and Wolf held their ground. "I spill blood."

Wolf growled, and X's eye caught on him. His sights remained locked on the lupine, but he retraced his step. Wolf's eyes narrowed, and he growled louder. It was now his turn to move forward, and the cat took a nearly untraceable step back.

Wolf continued to inch closer to X, his previous thoughts flooding his mind. He was dizzy. He was exhausted. Every move he made caused his joints to cry out in agony. He had no weapons, no nourishment, and no team.

He suddenly found himself back on that night, a few days back. The night when he'd seen his father. The crazed, drugged murderer he had called a father. For so long, Wolf had been haunted by that childhood memory. The tree, the argument, the gunshot...it all replayed through his mind, so clearly he could have sworn it had happened yesterday.

As he grew older and farther away from his roots, Wolf had been desperate to get away from remembering, and had even convinced himself that he had gotten over it and moved on. And yet, with one look at his father, Wolf was unable to defend himself. Instead, he had cowered in fear as the reincarnation of his murderous father bore down upon him. He wondered if he would have shared the same fate as his mother, if Fox hadn't been there.

Ever since he crashed into this barren planet, Wolf was deprived of the few possessions he had. His only source of familiarity was his blood rival. He had no contact with his real life, and his real teammates. And, on top of all that, his one true nightmare – the one thing that scared him more than anything else - had returned.

And why was he put through this misery? Why was he forced together with his biggest nemesis, deprived of any means of communication or sustainable food, and given no choice but to fight for survival? He had to suffer because of this enemy, this adversary who stood before him. Wolf felt his primitive instincts kick in. The need for the hunt. For the kill. And for once, he allowed a small part of himself to succumb to these feelings. There would be no mercy for this cat.

Even though the logical part of his mind told him to get a hold of himself, his instinctive self was growing stronger and more forceful inside him. He was like a shark, smelling blood. There was no stopping himself once he grew into his current state. All logic vanished from his exhausted mind. He was now functioning solely on strength, adrenaline, and the need for the kill.

Through his furious and almost primitive trance, he heard a faint movement beside him. Without looking, he knew Fox had seen the lupine's eyes switch from confusion to hatred. Without shifting his look, Wolf spoke to Fox. "Let me do this."

Fox attempted to persuade him otherwise, but the stubborn wolf refused to listen. "Fox," he said gruffly. "He took everything from me. He brought my father back to me. Now, he needs to feel what I've been through. I need to take away his life. And I need to bring him hell."

Fox opened his mouth to protest, to say that he'd had everything taken away too, and that he was acting without thinking. But something ferocious in Wolf's eyes silenced him. Sighing, Fox looked on as Wolf proceeded forward. With every forward step Wolf took, the cat would mirror with a backwards step. When Wolf was near the doorway, Fox silently mirrored Wolf's footsteps.

Suddenly, Wolf halted. Fox almost bumped into Wolf, but stopped himself when he realized he'd break Wolf's trance. Something told the vulpine that Wolf might turn around and snap his neck if he did anything close to touch him.

Noticing that Wolf stopped advancing, X stood still as well. "What's the matter? Gonna come and get me?"

Wolf snarled, then sprinted forward. Grinning, the cat ran forward as well. Wolf pulled his right arm back, balling his hand into his fist. Just before the two collided, however, the tiger stopped suddenly. Unable to keep himself immobile, Wolf swung his right paw forward. Shock crossed his face as the tiger grasped onto Wolf's fist, holding him back. As an attempt to free himself, Wolf lashed out with his left, only to find it caught in X's other paw.

X pushed Wolf, trying to alter his balance. However, Wolf stood steady, and slowly gained enough strength to push back. Now, the two were at a standoff, shaking, one pushing into the other.

The tiger laughed softly, then spoke. His words came out rocky, and he stuttered. It was difficult for him to manage speaking while holding off practically all of Wolf's brute force. "C'mon. Y-you have more than th-this in ya, right, Wolfie?"

Suddenly, Wolf stopped shaking. He felt a growl aroused from deep within his throat. As it grew closer and closer to escaping his mouth, it's volume steadily increased. By the time it was finally out of his windpipe, it was a full-out roar.

Using a strength Wolf never knew he possessed, he pushed X back. The cat was left stumbling for just a second, but that was all it took. Wolf spun, swinging his left foot into the cat's chest. Now, X was barely able to keep himself up. He left himself completely defenseless against Wolf's ferocious uppercut, which solidly connected with X's chin. X landed on his back, but quickly sprung to his feet.

Crouched on the ground, X tried to trip Wolf's feet out from underneath him, but Wolf easily jumped over the feline. X rose quickly, but before he had a chance to turn around Wolf forcefully shoved his elbow into the direct center of the cat's back.

X's eyes bulged as he sunk to his knees. He felt as though his back had snapped in half. As he was on the ground, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs, courtesy of Wolf's boot colliding with X's side. As excruciating pain seared through him, he allowed himself to be dragged to his feet like a rag doll; Wolf holding him by the scruff of his neck. As X swayed, trying subconsciously to keep his balance, Wolf took a few steps back, then thrust his side against the tiger's exposed stomach. The force of the impact sent the cat flying across the room. The rush of air around him filled X's lungs as he was flung through the air, actually allowing him to breathe. He landed on his back, sliding a meter or two, then rolled over and struggled to his feet.

X was facing away from Wolf, still bent over a little. From the other side of the room, Fox clearly heard his ragged breaths. Grinning slightly, Wolf slowly approached X. The cat still hadn't turned around. Wolf brought his right arm above the feline's back, ready to strike. But, as he readied himself for the possibly fatal blow, the small voice hissed in his head.

_He knows your every move..._

Wolf shook his head violently, shaking the mind from his thoughts. He quickly brought his elbow down, but before it could make contact with X's back, the feline attacked. Wolf felt it before he saw it. In a flash, X had thrown his right arm back and latched his claws into Wolf's forearm. Wolf instinctively cried out in pain. Without moving his body, X turned his head slightly, almost facing Wolf. If not for his ears, Wolf would never have heard what X said.

"...Every move."

X balled his mechanical hand into a fist, pulled it back, and turned. He watched as his fist sailed into the lupine's muzzle. The force behind it was equal, at least, to Wolf's. The startled wolf stumbled backward, not expecting the fierce blow. Now it was the tiger who grinned. He kicked Wolf, hard, in the gut, causing Wolf to lean forward and gulp in much-needed air. Slipping behind Wolf, X caught his neck in the crook of his elbow, preventing the lupine from moving. With his free paw, X pinched the tip of Wolf's left ear with his claws.

The cry of agony and pain erupting from Wolf's throat was louder than Fox even thought possible. All the years he'd fought Wolf, and he had never discovered a true weak point. Of all places...his ear? As the consciousness faded from Wolf's eyes, Fox's own widened. He watched helplessly as the struggling Wolf finally sunk to the dark ground.

Slowly, X turned around to face Fox. He had a crazed grin on his face and a glint of pure madness in his eye. Fox clenched his fists; he was face to face with a true psychopath.

"Heh, that was just too easy." As he spoke, X slowly padded towards Fox. Each step he took caused Fox to tense up a little tighter. "You would think I deserve a challenge from the two best fighters in the system, after all the shit I put you through."

Fox's gaze darted to Wolf's limp body, then shot back to X. His eyes narrowed. "You know it all, don't you? You know everything about us."

X threw his head back, laughing manically. "Of course I do! It's the goal of any scientist to know every single detail about their materials for experimentation!"

Fox's eyebrows furrowed, and his expression was parts anger, confusion, and mild disgust. "Experimentation?"

X nodded. "Yes, experimentation. I am a scientist, after all. Of course, the type of experiments I conduct may seem a bit...unusual. But it is science all the same. I've always had a goal, just as Andross did. To form a highly skilled, modified army, and take over the Lylat System."

"You wanted an army," Fox echoed. "And of course, the only way you decide to get one is by bribing, blackmailing, and altogether destroying the people of some defenseless planet, then forcing the remaining citizens to join your army. Which is exactly what Andross did years ago."

"Don't ever say me and Andross did anything similar," X spat. "That failure did nothing but waste an entire horde of followers. My army will be much more modified, much more skilled, and much more successful than that ape could ever hope to have been."

"So you are setting out to do what Andross never could." Fox stated it as though he almost agreed. "But what does that have to do with me? And Wolf? Why did you want us here?"

"I knew there would be some who stood in my way. One by one, my foes mysteriously...disappeared. I brought their bodies back here, determined to create the ultimate fighter and soldier. The minions you encountered – the ones who changed their form – were once two of my biggest threats. I may have gone a bit too far conducing experiments on their bodies, because the shape shifting ability was an accident. A helpful one at that, but I could never repeat it. Those two were in great physical condition, and none of my other...samples...had the strength to stand up to the more challenging experiments."

He pointed at Wolf, but his eye never altered from Fox's face. "That is why I specifically need you and O'Donnell, among other reasons. You two are in top physical condition; you can take any of my experiments. So, I formulated a plan to get you here, and take you down. But I knew you were the best, better than anyone else ever was. And any fighter worthy of their title knows that the only way to take down the best is by giving the best to them. I spent days, weeks, months even, trying to find every single detail about you two. Your skills, your training, your past...your weaknesses. Your fears."

Fox clenched his fists. "What kind of sources did you have?"

"Wolf was easy. The Cornerian military must really hate him, 'cuz there was a bio of him up on their site. The have one for every enemy, along with their rank based on threat. Photos, past information, fighting strengths and weaknesses...very useful in the wrong hands. O'Donnell got a 9.5 out of 10, listed as 'murderous and merciless'."

Fox rolled his eyes slightly. Of course Wolf was marked that way. Just a few days ago, he was considered one of the biggest dangers in the Lylat System. Until the crazed scientist that stood before him showed up, that is.

"You, on the other hand, were very difficult. I hacked into the military system, and found a listing of all the soldiers in the army, navy, air force. But you aren't part of the military, so I looked for any sort of link to your name. Anywhere I looked, it was the same useless information. Posted by the fans; nothing solid. Every file I read about you I could have found in some magazine. I discovered a little bit about your background, but nothing really helpful.

"But, as I told Wolf, I've been watching you. I had secret cameras set up all over this planet. As you've made progress, I've been seeing you fight. I know your tactics, your skills, your strengths in a fight. But still, no weaknesses. I sent the reincarnation of Andross after you, as a guess. But as I suspected, you weren't afraid. However, my experiment finally found your true fear, deep inside you. Failure."

Fox glared at the feline. The frigidness of his cold eyes could have made water turn to ice. His eyes narrowed, as though he were daring the cat to keep talking, or stay alive. The freezing look Fox received from X was equally as harsh. He obviously didn't care too much about Fox's silent threat. Fox crossed his arms, and the talkative foe continued.

"Still, even though I have your history, combat technique, and fear figured out...I need a weakness. That's why you are still standing. I want you to feel suffering in the worst way possible." A sadistic grin crept onto the cat's face.

Fox felt his hackles rising. A deep force within him surged through his veins. He'd never let this way before, but something told him he had to kill X. And not quickly, either. He needed to make it slow, painful...brutally painful. X needed a reminder who exactly he was dealing with. He needed to be the last thing the cat saw, as he took his final breath...

Fox blinked. He knew of this emotion inside him. It was a feeling of hate, of pure, blind rage. It was basically as though his primitive instincts were taking over his body and mind. And he despised it.

He thought back to Wolf, and the blazing fury he'd seen swirling in his lavender eyes. He recognized the growling, snarling, roaring...he must have been feeling the same way. The murderous emotion, deprived from a distant soul from generations ago, had to explain the fire that was in Wolf's eyes before he charged at X. And now, Wolf was collapsed in a pathetic heap on the cold ground.

This emotion was one Fox was familiar with, this primitive need to kill. And he tried to avoid it at all costs. When he let himself gain too much emotion, he left himself open. It was like a firefighter throwing his hose down and charging into a blazing fire. Any successful combatant knew that the key to victory was staying focused and shutting down their feelings.

X dimly caught the change of emotion in Fox's eyes. For just a second, X could have sworn a flash of red meld with the green in the vulpine's eyes, but before his vision could fully process in his mind it was gone, and he found himself facing the usual emotionless yet concealing expression in Fox's eyes.

X squinted, searching to see if he'd just imagine the redness in Fox's irises. Fox however, averted his gaze to the ground, making it impossible for X to look into his eyes. It was almost as though Fox had read his thoughts. Giving up, he sighed. "Got anything to say, McCloud? Or do you just wanna die in silence?"

Fox snapped his head up, a look of confidence and serenity showing on his face. X was slightly taken aback by the fox's calm disposition. "Let me get just one thing straight." Fox's tone was even, low; its commanding tone silenced the comment X was going to make. His arms still crossed, Fox narrowed his eyes, causing a cold spike to shoot up X's spine. "I won't die."

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**Okay, that's it for this one. This chapter was supposed to be longer. But then I realized if I kept going it would just be an insanely long chapter. Well, it'd be long to me, anyways. Please review, the next one will be up soon! Later!**


	20. Final Showdown Part 3

**Happy 2009, everybody! I hope you all have been having an awesome break, and will have a great new year. I know I just made some new story, but I really want to finish this one. Plus, it's been a while since I updated this. 20 chapters...I can't believe it! Okay, enjoy!**

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Fox and X glared at each other from across the dim room. The faint lighting was enough for one to see the glint in the other's eyes. Mentally, both were angry. Enraged would be a better way to describe it. Neither made a move forward, the only motion at all was the invisible tension between their eyes.

X seemed alert, which confused Fox. It seemed as though the cat had just walked into the room, and had not just gotten into a scuffle with Wolf O'Donnell. It had been Wolf who make the first lunge, and now it was Wolf who lay quietly on the stone ground. Fox knew from experience that Wolf was a skilled fighter, but the fight between the two had only lasted about five minutes. X had taken some hard-looking hits, courtesy of Wolf's astounding strength and combat skill. And yet here he stood before Fox, unscathed. This factor made Fox slightly nervous, but there also a much more threatening reason for Fox's jittery nerves.

Whenever Fox was forced into ground combat, the opponent made the first move. His biggest strength in a fight was his speed and agility, something often miscalculated by whoever was opposing him. But here he found himself in a different situation. The cat staring him down knew all about his combat technique, and therefore refused to fight first. This was posing as a problem for Fox.

Since he was considered short and light for his age, Fox knew he wasn't that strong. He was fit, of course, but he wasn't about to win any heavy-lifting trophies or anything like that. After seeing how brutally X and Wolf fought before, Fox had a pretty clear assumption this feline was stronger than himself. There was also the fact that any move Fox made, the tiger could easily figure out and use to his own advantage.

X grinned, knowing he had Fox caught. Fox narrowed his eyes as the smile crept onto the feline's face. He guessed what the cat was thinking, and Fox was getting aggravated. He took a deep breath, knowing the trick of forcing oxygen into his brain wouldn't settle his rampant emotions every time. He needed a plan. If only he could...

A light went off in Fox's mind. He rolled the idea around in his mind, immediately seeing something going wrong. What is his calculations were off, and his assumptions were wrong? If he messed up and couldn't regain himself, he would probably join Wolf in the realm of unconsciousness. And with them gone, who knew what this crazy cat would do?

Fox shook his head subtly, praying X didn't notice. He couldn't doubt himself, he just had to go in and do it. Hopefully, once the first blow was dealt, quick logic and adrenaline would take over his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Fox wordlessly charged. X was taken by surprise for a second, but then a grin replaced his astonished expression and he raced towards the approaching vulpine. When Fox was close, he pulled back his fist, and X pushed his arm forward as an attempt to block the punch Fox seemed to be preparing. But as Fox grew dangerously close, X's expression formed into one of confusion. Fox still didn't punch.

Now it was Fox who grinned. X had taken his bait.

With his right hand still pulled back, Fox grabbed X's forearm with his left. With a swift pull, Fox brought X's face inches to his own. At that moment, Fox finally struck his right fist out, solidly connecting with the cat's half-mechanical muzzle. X stumbled back, taken off guard from Fox's surprising offense. Taking advantage of the cat's dazed state, Fox ran forward, jumped and spun in the air, landing a hard kick on the side of the cat's face. The force from the blow caused the cat to fly back a few feet, landing hard on the ground.

Fox landed on his feet as X struggled to stand, panting slightly. He growled at Fox, the fury evident in his golden eye. "That was a sly trick, McCloud. Last lucky shot you'll have."

Fox grinned, causing the feline to growl even louder. Fox decided to get him as angry as possible. If this tiger let the rage get the better of him, his common sense would shift. "Wanna prove that?"

X kept growling, but he didn't advance. Through his anger, he saw the game Fox was trying to play with his emotions. He ceased his growling, choosing words instead. "I don't think I have to prove it, Fox. I see through your little plot. You thought you had me, didn't you?" Fox glared angrily, and X had his answer. "Don't underestimate me. It will only lead to your demise."

Silently, X applauded Fox's attempt to get his thoughts jumbled. Though he'd never admit it, Fox had almost succeeded. While his outside expression remained transfixed in a cold glare, on the inside he was planning his next move. Hopefully, Fox wouldn't mind if X decided to join in his little mind game.

Fox slowly shifted to the right, taking each sidestep cautiously. His eyes never wavered from meeting the cat's piercing glare. Each of Fox's steps was mirrored by the feline, and soon the two were circling the dim room, around the unconscious Wolf and bound General Pepper. "I can guess what you're thinking, Fox. You're thinking about failure. What will happen if you don't succeed in defeating me? What will become of your precious system, your home...your team?"

Fox tensed up at the mention of the Starfox crew. He had briefly wondered what would happen if, for some insane reason, this cat actually prevailed. But that was before, when he was sure he would come out on top. Now that the odds were stacked higher against him, he thought it over harder.

"Falco is one tough bird, and he will probably join you and Wolf in my more intense experiments. Slippy will be put under mind control instead, like the rest of the general population. Using his mechanical knowledge, we can create machinery that will be unconquerable." Fox cringed at the mention of his teammates, and couldn't believe they were even being mentioned in this list of ridiculous, horrid fantasies rolling of X's tongue.

"And of course...there's Krystal." Fox stopped shuffling and froze. The cat grinned, knowing he found a sensitive subject. "She's quite dazzling, isn't she? Can't let a pretty thing like her go to waste." Fox clenched his fists, trying to shut out the rage growing rapidly inside him. "For such a fine vixen, she only deserves the best...companion. And who is better suited for her than the controller of the Lylat System?" X's last words were dripping with venom. "I mean, unless she refuses...then I will see to her death personally. But don't worry, I will make sure she feels some sort of pleasure before I kill her." X paused, not seeming to notice how heavily Fox was breathing. "Actually, I take that back. I will make sure I get some sort of pleasure before she dies. It's the least she can do-"

X was silenced by a roar from across the room. It sounded primitive and almost cannibalistic, as though it was being created by the lungs of a wild, savage beast. But only Fox stood there.

X's eyes widened in surprise. Fox's hackles were practically stick-straight in the air, and his breathing was heavy and rhythmic. But it was his eyes that shot fear into X. There it was again: the redness in Fox's irises. But this time, no green was to be found.

"Shut the fuck up, you crazy bastard." Fox's voice was low and quiet, which was not what X was expecting. However, it had tones of pure rage and anger behind it, barely contained within Fox's words. As he spoke, his eyes remained crimson, and the blood color still remained as Fox took a step forward. X instinctively took a step back, and silently scolded himself for appearing afraid.

Within Fox's own head, the smarter side of his brain was screaming for him to stop and get a hold of his common sense. Through his rage, Fox started listening to the logical part of his head and stopped moving. The red slowly faded from his irises.

On the inside, Fox was satisfied with himself for regaining control. But on the outside, he still had his teeth bared. "If you touch her...if you even go anywhere near her..."

"You'll what?" X spat, narrowing his eyes. Fox returned the icy glare, picking his brain for an idea. Anything...wait. When he was running at X, he had stepped back. Fox had seen the fear in his eyes. But what had he been so afraid of? Then, it clicked. X had been afraid...of him. Or rather, the beast inside him, the animal that almost made him lose control.

Fox kept that thought inside him, and he continued to slowly advance. X held his ground, anticipating Fox's next move. He had assumed Fox was still in his enraged, slightly primitive state. Little did he know that Fox knew exactly what he was doing.

Mustering up a deep growl from somewhere in his throat, Fox sprinted forward. He covered the ground separating him and X within a few seconds. After a few quick calculations, X waited until Fox was close, spun, and lashed out with a roundhouse kick. Fox ducked while X was spinning, and kept low to the ground as the feline's foot barely passed over his head. While X's foot was still out, Fox popped back up and sent a fist straight into the cat's gut.

X gasped, and leaned forward as he desperately gulped down oxygen. As he was hunched forward, Fox lifted his elbow and smashed it into the center of the cat's back. X's eyes bulged, and he dropped to a crouch, supporting himself with one hand planted firmly on the ground. Fox roughly sent his knee into the kneeling tiger's face, and X fell with a grunt.

Now X was on the ground, the non-mechanical half of his face bleeding due to Fox's harsh blow. With a look of disgust etched onto his face, Fox grabbed the cat by the ears, pulled him up, and shoved him into a wall. Keeping one hand tightly grasping X's throat, Fox spit in his face and harshly backhanded him across the face. "That was for Krystal."

Then, Fox noticed the gruesome-looking patch of oozing nastiness on the cat's shoulder. The armor was missing. It didn't take Fox all too long to figure out Wolf must have pulled it off when he was chained up. Gritting his teeth, Fox grabbed the top of the cat's armor shielding his face and pulled. Ignoring the cries of pain flooding out of the feline, Fox peeled off the metal plating and tossed it to the ground. "And that was for me, you son of a bitch."

X was panting heavily, his breaths coming out as a wheeze due to the screaming. He looked down at the ground as he waited for the burning pain to subside, then looked up. Fox felt a cold spark shoot down his spine. X's unmasked face was grayish and rotting, with huge, white-tipped bumps all over it. Some of the bumps had opened, and a pinkish-red liquid oozed out of the holes. A mix of pus and blood, Fox observed.

But it was where an eye should have been that shocked Fox the most. Instead of an eye, a black hole stared at him. Sure, Fox knew some officers and generals missing an eye, but they normally wore an eyepatch. He had never seen one up close. Something about the void that remained unfilled on the cat's face made Fox's stomach turn. A small part of him regretted tearing the metal from X's face.

X took Fox's second of shock as an opportunity, and shoved Fox away. Fox stumbled back, quickly regaining his focus. He ducked as the enraged feline swung at him. As the punch passed over Fox, he reached up and grabbed X's arm. With a grunt, Fox sent the cat toppling over his shoulder. His sensitive ears picked up X's tail shuffling against the floor as he attempted to stand, and Fox spun around with a roundhouse that hit the unbruised section of X's face. The momentum created a force that sent X flying across the room, where he crashed against the wall with a thud.

Fox noticed that X was moving his head around, trying to shake off his collision with the wall. However, he still wasn't trying to stand. Taking the opportunity, Fox grabbed one of the chairs and set it in the middle of the room. He backed up until he was opposite his feline foe. Taking a deep breath, Fox darted forward, pushing his speed to its limit.

When he reached the chair, he stepped one foot up onto the seat, and put the other on the back of the chair. It looked as effortless as climbing a flight of stairs. Before the chair could topple over, he pushed off the back. The force and momentum from the sprint catapulted him into the air. While his head was still spinning, X glanced up and saw Fox launch into the air.

For a second, he remembered watching James McCloud getting through Venom's base. Andross was watching the vulpine's progress through the security cameras set up throughout his lair, and he told the feline to watch. He was amazed at how gracefully James fought. Every blow thrown at him was easily dodged, as though he were dancing. Then, the right moment presented itself, and James would deal a few devastating blows and leave his opponent in a heap.

Now, watching Fox airborne, X couldn't help but notice the resemblance between the two McClouds. Fox was even more quick than his father had been, and his combat skill was either equal or excelling James. He watched in some sort of hypnotic daze as Fox flipped effortlessly through the air. He only came back to reality through Fox's foot, which collided with the top of his head and sent him face-first into the stone ground.

As searing pain erupted from the heavily damaged side of his face, the haze blanketing X's mind vanished. It was quickly replaced with a burning rage. For years, he was forced under the shadow of a failed scientist, while silently waiting for a chance to prove himself. Finally, the golden opportunity had presented itself, and he had worked so hard to take it.

Countless hours, days, weeks, even years of his life were wasted on unsuccessful experiments and deep observation. Miraculously, he managed to kidnap the leader of the main army against him, then shoot down and capture the two best mercenaries in current existence. In his grasp, he held the only beings who stood in his way.

Visions of his future creation formed continuously through his twisted mind. It was all he ever thought about, and he grew bent on making it a reality. Two of the three captives who he needed to destroy were unconscious, lying uselessly on the ground. He had come so close, and yet the ache in his head was almost speaking to him. It was telling him not to let his guard down just yet, that his reality was not carved in stone. There was still one left, and that one had already proved he'd be nearly impossible to conquer.

As quickly as the doubt sailed into his head, his typical stubbornness kicked it out. He needed to finish this. If it was Fox McCloud he was up against, so be it. No matter what, his dreams needed to become a reality. He had been let down so many times, and this vision, this imaginary world under his rule...it needed to happen. Fox was acting as a dam, standing between him and his dream. When Fox finally fell, the waters would flow all over this pitiful world. And, when all dried, it would be X to make the world rise again – his world.

Fox stood over the cat, waiting for a movement, a sign of life. For the briefest instant, he thought X was done, but soon the feline began to shake violently shake on the ground. Fox cautiously took a step back, bracing himself.

In a split second, X lashed out from the floor, attempting to knock Fox's legs out from under him. Working on instinct, Fox flipped back at the last possible second and landed in a crouch, one hand on the ground to support him. X was on his hands and knees, but quickly shifted into a flying pounce. Once again, Fox had no choice but to flip back, this time landing on his feet.

Missing his target, X landed on his stomach, getting some of the wind knocked out of him. Not hesitating for a second, Fox kicked the fallen tiger in the face, causing X to yelp. Then, Fox kneeled on the cat's back, using his knees to pin him down. Hooking an elbow under X's chin, he wrapped his free arm around the feline's face. X was stuck; he couldn't move, and Fox could snap his neck in a blink.

Fox leaned down beside the cat's ear. His movement didn't loosen his grip on the feline's neck, and X couldn't struggle or even move as he heard Fox whisper in his ear. "I should kill you," he threatened. "After all the shit you put Wolf through, and the General...and me. The only reason I'm not breaking your neck in fifty places right now is because I'm giving you one chance at surrender. Stop your intentions, and this can end without a death." Fox tightened his grip on X's neck, causing him to gag. "Or, there will be quite a mess left here. Your choice."

X didn't respond for a few seconds. It appeared that he was weighing his options, but instead he was silently thanking the gods. He had completely forgotten about the combat knife, still sheathed, sitting on his waist. He wiggled his fingers, which were trapped under Fox. Still, he realized he could free himself, and if time was on his side this fight could shift significantly.

Counting to three, X pulled his arm out from under him, ignoring the numbness from the weight that had been crushing it just a second before. He pulled his knife out, whirled around, and came face-to-face with Fox's stunned expression. Grinning, X thrust the blade into Fox's shoulder. He watched with a feeling of maniacal glee as Fox's face morphed into one of pain. He rolled off of X, clutching his shoulder. Using the opportunity, X tackled Fox. As Fox squirmed under him, X pulled the knife out of Fox. The vulpine gasped, but still didn't scream. For some reason, this just served as fuel for X's wrath.

"Scream," he cried with a crazed laugh. "Why won't you scream? Yell, cry out in pain. I know you're in pain, but why won't you prove it?" He held the knife in the air, at an angle where it would normally reflect any light in the room. However, no light broke through the blood caked onto the tip of the blade. Some of the bright liquid rolled down the knife's handle and onto X's paw, while some of the older blood crusted on the edge. Fox's eyes widened as he realized all of that blood was his. His gaze quickly shifted to his shoulder, which was oozing blood. He watched, unable to pull his eyes away from the trail of red dripping down his shoulder. The pain made him feel as though he was on fire, but Fox still made no sound.

X lowered the blade, but too slowly to strike. He held it inches above Fox's muzzle, watching with satisfaction as some of the blood dripped off the knife and onto Fox's white snout. Fox kept his mouth closed, not wanting the cat to have the pleasure of watching him drink his own blood. "Now, Fox, you will feel pain. Merciless, unbearable pain. Then, you will drift into blackness. When you return, the experiments will begin." X grinned, and brought the blade up again.

Under the same conditions, the prisoner would squeeze their eyes shut, hold their breath, and die with a cringe on their face. X would have loved to see that, finding the look of final submission an embarrassment. He was disappointed, however, as Fox's emerald eyes remained open, still lacking emotion. Their cold glare was locked onto the knife, watching it slowly rise to it's peak, then hold still in the air for a moment. X growled, growing impatient as he waited for Fox's eyelids to close. "Shut your eyes, Fox. This will hurt-"

But X never had a chance to finish his sentence. A gray flash attacked his face, throwing the cat off of Fox and sending him flying across the room. Fox blinked, as the shock melted away. He finally mustered enough energy to sit, then struggled to stand. Standing in front of him, breathing heavily and sporting an extremely pissed-off look on his muzzle, was none other than a revived Wolf.

Fox couldn't begin to describe the relief he felt as Wolf turned. He had heard Fox stand, and he couldn't control his jaw as it fell open. Fox was a mess: still coated in blood, a huge gash in his shoulder, and drops of red caked onto his muzzle. Wolf slowly regained himself, and his mouth curled into a grin. "You look like hell."

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**There you go. Sorry again for not updating for a while, it's been so busy. Just a quick warning that the next update will either be really soon or not for a long time, so we'll see depending on school and stuff. Thanks to everyone who has read this so far, and has stuck with it. Shoutout to everyone who made this story a favorite and put it up for alert, and especially KrzyKrnK, starfighter-105, and Pasta Masta for reviewing practically every chapter since the crappy beginning. Also one to LegendMaker08 for his talkshow compliments. Read all their stories, cuz they're awesome! Review, please, and enjoy the new year! Later!**


	21. Final Showdown: Escape

**Hi, everyone! I haven't updated in a while, but I won't let this story die. Actually, there are some people who won't let me. =) Oh, and for future reference on this chapter: the first part is not from a charatcer POV, then it's in X's POV for a little, and then Fox takes over the rest of the time. So...I'll just jump in. Enjoy!**

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For just the smallest second, there was blackness. For a second, that was all there was. And, if the darkness had prevailed, this story would have ended how it began – in ebony emptiness.

But of course, no story ends along the same premise as it's start, and this tale was no different. So, though it may seem the antagonist has finally been subdued to shadows and his evil intentions are finally put to rest, it is fairly obvious that the end is not yet in sight.

This fact is particularly unfortunate for our two protagonists, though there are many who wouldn't stretch to refer to them both as the "good guys." Both were of the same genus, and yet could not be more different. One was hailed as a hero: instinctive, focused and calm. The other was considered a threat: angry, merciless and deadly.

At the dawn of storytelling, the distinctions of these two protagonists would have been a deciding factor that would have set this story apart from the rest. In classic tales, the hero is pitted against the threat. But now, as our minds mold into modern thinking, more tales are told of the hero and threat fighting for a common goal.

However, even though the heroes of this story wouldn't admit it, they have more in common than they think. It was the antagonist, ironically enough, who brought this to their attention. Both thought quickly and logically, using wits to get out of situations. They both had the blood of leaders flowing through them, able to command both their small teams efficiently. If the chance came, both could probably lead a full battle squadron without a problem.

And of course, both the hero and threat are connected by their determination. Combined, it could form a flame hot enough to burn a forest to ash, a wind strong enough to pull continents apart, or waters vast enough to engulf the universe. No matter what challenge stood in their way, rather than hide away they ran forward, daring the enemy to face them as they swore they would.

It was because of this immense determination, above all other factors, that they were still standing, breathing heavily and dwelling in their immense pain. Bruises, cuts and scratches decorated their bodies like paint on a canvas, and their bones ached from exhaustion. But still they stood, glaring at the motionless body of their antagonist from across the room.

Their already taut muscles tensed even more as the villain slowly shook his head and rose from his sprawled-out position on the cold ground. Facing away from them, he cracked the knuckles of his claws, their iron coating slightly catching the glint of the dim light. Face first, he turned, and the two protagonists were met with a face of fiery rage and insanity.

As the protagonists mentally prepared themselves for what was going to happen, both they and the antagonist knew what the outcome of all this what to be. There was no way to avoid it, and though nobody could accurately determine which side would emerge victory, one thing was clear.

Someone wasn't getting out alive.

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Emotions and thoughts flashed through X's mind, numbing his other senses as he coldly and blankly stared at Fox and Wolf. Both body and mind spoke out to him. His spine felt like it went through a blender, and his side had met with the walls so many times the bruise began to swell, creating a miniature bubble of pain.

His mind, however, told him to ignore the sting. His plans of dominating this futile system were almost complete, and he could feel success just out of his reach. All he needed was a small push, and he could grab it...and his push was murdering the two canines staring him down.

As usual, the tones of malice and pure insanity took over all of his senses and emotions, since X simply could not ignore them. They spoke louder in his head as his eyes met with the green ones of his enemy. Years of exile, working under a useless leader, watching all of his technological expertise and painstaking efforts wiped away by one meager creature and his team. And here that creature was, standing before him, in as bad a condition – if not worse – than X himself. Death was near, X could sense it.

Slowly, X shook his head from side to side. A look of grief replaced the evident anger on his muzzle. He really would have rather taken down these two personally, but it seems as though he had no choice. The condition he was in left him barely able to walk, and this way their bodies could be preserved for further experimentation.

His voice was rough and raspy, yet still strong as he spoke. "This has gone on long enough. If we keep going as we are, nobody will walk out that door." His mouth curled into a sinister grin. "And I wholeheartedly intend on seeing the light on another day, and making sure you three do not." For a second, his eyes glanced down at the bound and unconscious General, still on the ground, but quickly his eyes returned to meet the ones of the two canines who were conscious.

Pulling his bloody knife from it's sheath, X tossed it into the air and watched as the blade sank into the ground, about a foot away from the vulpine and lupine. They looked from the blade to X's face, their own showing confusion and suspicion. Smirking, X pushed in a small section of the wall, and a concealed button suddenly revealed itself beside the hidden exit. He watched as the vulpine cautiously grasped the blade, walked over to the sleeping General, and cut his binds. The whole time, his gaze was still locked on the psychotic cat.

"I don't think there was any point in you doing that," X said, bringing up a feeling of foreboding in the two standing canines. "I press that button, one of my experimental gases will come out of those vents." He lifted a finger up to the ceiling, pointing out the vents that prior to the exact moment had gone unnoticed. "I call it Molecule Monoxide. What MM does is it attaches itself to the oxygen molecules in the air and slowly sucks them in, then reformulates it to turn into carbon monoxide, which then is admitted back into the air. Basically, you'll be breathing in poison for the next three minutes or so, until you die." He gave a sadistic grin, gesturing towards the knife. "I have a feeling you'll need that."

Making a fist, X forcefully pushed the button in, and a section of the wall pulled up to reveal the same hallway X had entered the dark fortress in, when he had revealed himself for the first time. His eyes remained focused on the canines. "Your time has come. Enjoy your final moments, knowing that the whole world will never see Wolf O'Donnell and Fox McCloud again."

With that, X turned and walked out, his eyes wide with disbelief and a crazed smile stretched on his face. For the first time in his whole life, something was actually going his way. He had defeated the two best mercenaries in the system, and now his dream of controlling Lylat would be complete.

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So close. Fox practically had seen the rays of Solar nearly blinding his eyes, the warmth of the blazing star warming his fur. Just seconds before, he'd seen the exact opposite. He saw the end, as that knife was held high above his head, the fresh blood oozing down the blade and dripping crimson onto his white muzzle. Just as his last grip of hope began to slip from his weak fingers, Wolf flung himself in and saved him. For just the slightest second, he felt on top once again.

Now, he was back on bottom. And, for the slightest glimpse of time, he felt it was for good. Again. At first, he immediately pushed that thought out of his mind. But, as he saw X press the button that was supposed to end both Wolf's life and his own, something inside him snapped. He wasn't going to die. Not here, not by the cruel hand of this psycho, and not without putting up a fight.

Not really thinking, Fox darted towards the knife. Sweeping his foot up, he kicked the blade into his hand. Spinning from the momentum, Fox pulled his arm back, held his breath, and released the blade. To his surprise, rather than arc it glided forward in a quick, straight line. From behind him, he noticed Wolf wipe the look of surprise off his face and sprint to the door, and Fox darted a few steps so he ran beside the lupine.

The doors were lowering quickly, so Fox and Wolf had no choice but desperately land in a slide and propel towards the shrinking gap separating their personal hell from freedom. Still, Fox saw the slightest glint of hope – as he went down, he watched the blade cleanly slice through the side of X's neck. The cut was exactly as he had hoped – not deep enough to kill X, but it hit a pressure point deep enough to throw the cat into a state of unconsciousness. The single most satisfying sight Fox had seen since he showed up on this miserable planet was watching the cat collapse to the ground.

Right before the doors shut in their faces.

All of the pent-up anger, hatred, fury, rage...Fox felt all of these twisted emotions claw their way into his bloodstream, flowing through his fist as strength and forming into sounds that were carried up his throat and up his mouth. He yelled louder than he had in his entire life, pounding the steel door with a fist so taut with anger, it created a massive dent that the average being may have accomplished with a sledgehammer.

Teeth bared and eyes glowing, Fox turned to see a startled Wolf, eyes wide with confusion at Fox's extremely out-of-place state. Fox opened his mouth to make a sound – words or another roar, he guessed the latter – when a low hissing echoed through the room. Both canines looked up to see a thin, white smoke wisping through the vents. Fox and Wolf made eye contact, than immediately took a deep breath and held it.

Fox watched as the cloud of smoke spread from the ventilation system and began spreading throughout the room. Fox let out his air and took another deep breath of fresh oxygen as the ceiling was coated with smoke. His eyes widened as the dense substance grew closer and closer. He shut his eyes, thinking about his life, his accomplishments, his failures. His team, his family, and his memories. Slowly, he opened his eyes again, looking over at Wolf. The lupine had a dazed look on his face, showing that his mind was occupied sifting through various memories as well.

Both were thinking the same thing...was this really the end? Was their time in this life up? Sure, being mercenaries, there were too many times to count when it seemed that their clocks were stopping for good. But, as they stood alone in that closed chamber, the fatal gas above them creeping ever closer to their open throats and the memories of their lives flashing through their minds, the foreboding feeling was more real than either canine had encountered before.

He closed his eyes, forcing the doubt from his mind and trying to concentrate on not dying. His lungs hadn't shown any sort of resistance yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He looked up at the cloudy substance slowly absorbing the remaining oxygen left in the sealed fortress. It was a white tint, about as dense as fog.

Seeing the gas come closer and closer to where he stood, Fox quickly let out his breath and sucked in new oxygen. He grimaced as he felt his lungs struggle with the force in the gas. The struggle for air was beginning.

One minute had passed. Fox saw Wolf kneel to the ground, trying desperately not to cough. Feeling the oxygen slowly being sucked up from his throat, Fox began leaning towards the ground as well. His vision was blurry, his muscles were numbing...and the images of his life flashed by in a quicker, clearer parade through his head.

He felt them move faster and faster, almost as though they were spiraling around his head like some kind of sick merry-go-round. His past and present, from the first time he remembers seeing the light of day, to going to his first day at the Academy, hearing his father speak for the last time: it swirled through his mind, blurring at the edges.

And then, there was her. The sapphire gaze of Krystal suddenly appeared, and everything else, all reality and fantasy faded to black. His heart, barely thriving on the lacking oxygen, still soared deep in his chest as the image of Krystal came closer. But, just as quickly as she came, she disappeared.

Fox made a fist, eyes squeezed shut. That couldn't be the last time he saw her. A figment of her, nothing more than a recreation from his own thoughts, was not to be the last thing that flashed through his mind. This was not how it was supposed to end.

Though his senses were still clouded, he somehow made out something resembling footsteps come closer and closer to the panel. A resounding explosion echoed through the room, but Fox didn't hear anything for a few seconds as the blast forced him back a few feet. Somehow holding his balance, he saw one of the guards – the one who had watched Wolf – standing where the wall once stood.

Wolf began coughing, "Pax. Wha-"

"Come on!" Pax interrupted him, gesturing towards the two canines. "Wanna get out of this hellhole or not?" Without a word in response, Wolf followed the guard. Fox stumbled forward, than turned back to see General Pepper still knocked out on the ground.

Fox concentrated on keeping the room as still as possible, and shakily approached the unconscious General. Weakly gripping the lapel of the hound's official military jacket, he mustered up as much strength as his arms would allow and dragged the General forward.

Gasping for breath, Fox finally managed to get to the hole. It had only been a distance of about a dozen yards, but to Fox it felt like countless miles. Three seconds between releasing the General and collapsing to the ground. It was then he saw X, awake and tinted red with fury glowing in his eyes, Wolf snarling back at him, and Pax with a knife in his chest, spilling blood like a ruby waterfall cascading to the ground.

It took another two seconds for the familiar blackness to take over.

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Though to Fox it felt like an eternity, his stay in the realm of darkness was considerably short. About forty seconds after he blacked out, his subconscious came flooding back to him. He heard faint grunting, growing louder as the seconds ticked by. Soon he found the strength to open his eyes, and his hazy vision cleared to a bittersweet scene.

Pax, the hero for about two seconds, lay dead on the ground; the scent of blood radiated from his still form. Against the wall, a much more satisfactory scene met Fox's gaze. X was gasping for breath, but his windpipe was blocked by Wolf's paw. Two claws were digging into the tiger's neck, oozing blood, and Wolf was muttering something in the cat's ear, and they sounded like death threats to Fox's reviving ears.

As feeling began to flow into him, so did the cries of his exhausted muscles. He gritted his teeth, somehow fighting off the screams of his limbs and slowly standing. As soon as he did, his empty lungs eagerly gulped in oxygen.

Wolf turned, seeing Fox stand. "Oh, great. You're up." He tilted his head towards the struggling cat. "Got anything to say to him?" The lupine then stepped on the cat's tail, making X's face contort into one of extreme pain as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Fox nodded, relieved at getting enough strength back to walk up to X. His green-tinted eyes met with the gold one of the insane feline. Fox's eyes narrowed, and he turned away. Anger coursed through him, and it seemed to flow into his leg. A snarl formed on his muzzle. He clenched his fists, turning his head to the side to look at Wolf. "Move," he whispered, listening for Wolf's step back.

Not a word passed Fox's lips as he pivoted and sent his foot into X's face with a force he didn't even realize he possessed. He heard bone crack as X's neck snapped to the side, and watched the consciousness fade from the tiger's eye. As the cat collapsed, Fox looked over to Wolf. "When he wakes up...kill him if you want. I'm gonna look for radar, a communicator...something."

Turning on his heel, Fox gave a small smile at the look of glee that had appeared in Wolf's eyes. Sure, he proved to be a valuable ally, but some things about Wolf O'Donnell would never change.

Busting open random doors, Fox grew impatient. "Where the hell is it?" he muttered, opening up the next door. "Bingo," he sighed. A control room illuminated by computer screens stood before him. He searched the room, looking for ways to contact the outside world.

His eyes drifted over an interesting phrase: Intruder Prevention. It showed a map of the base and the area around it, with different pink arrows scattered around. His mind thought back to the stray laser that had sent him spiraling to the ground. He quickly went through the options, selecting 'abort'. The pink arrows disappeared, leaving Fox half satisfied. He continued searching for a method of communication, finally locating a device similar to the one on the Great Fox. He sent out a scan, hoping he'd finally hear the familiar voices of the crew he felt he'd been separated from for years. But then he blinked, playing that time span back in his mind. It had only a few days. Dramatic blood loss really could mess up you up like that.

His prayers were answered as a transmission seemed to go through. A encrypted message scrolled onto his screen, stating that the message was from the Great Fox. It asked to state his name and position, and of course threatened to take him out if he proved hostile. Fox grinned. Same old cautious Peppy.

Fox opened up an audio with his team members, even though he highly doubted they'd accept his call. So he was most surprised when his call went through and Peppy's voice echoed through the control room. "This is Peppy Hare of Team Starfox. State your name and position."

Fox never thought he'd be so ecstatic hearing Peppy's voice. Even without seeing him, Peppy's fatherly nature was evident in his voice. Fox's grin widened.

"This is Fox McCloud," he responded.

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The computer screens faded to black as the door slammed closed. Fox turned and dashed back the way he came, a feeling closely resembling happiness within him that he hadn't felt since...he couldn't even remember. But now he had a good reason to be elated. He found his team, and they were coming. He had found home.

"Wolf, I got in contact wi-" Fox skidded to a stop as the words faded from his mind. Wolf stood there, his breaths coming out ragged and heavy. Blood dripped from his claws, and crimson streaks decorated his silver fur. But it wasn't Wolf's disheveled state that Fox immediately noticed.

Sprawled out on the ground, X lay without any metal covers adorning him. The gray-pink, rotting flesh oozed a gruesome mixture of puss and blood that coated the striped fur of the insane cat. Small punctures from Wolf's claws – and possibly his fangs – created a stream of red that flowed down the cat's neck. But it was the unnatural angle of the cat's head that caused Fox to wrinkle up his muzzle in disgust. While the tiger's body lay flat on the ground, his lifeless eyes were parallel to the ground, as his head was disturbingly twisted to the side.

Fox crossed his arms and slowly shook his head, rolling his eyes at the blood-soaked lupine. "You really can't help yourself, can you?" he sighed, looking back at the mangled feline's lifeless form. Though the defeat of this insane adversary was supposed to be a victory, inside Fox found himself feeling empty.

He looked back at Wolf. "So. Want out of here?"

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**I'm a horrible person. I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I posted. And I'm deeply sorry for that. Next chapter's the epilogue, so I'll put in mentions and stuff later. But, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to KrzyKrn K and Foxkong, for pushing me to keep going. I owe you guys, big time. As for everyone else – read and review! You know, before it all ends. =) P.S. I kinda rushed the end, feel free to ignore it. Okay, later!**


	22. Epilogue

**I know. I totally fail, since I do all these leave-for-like-EVER-and-don't write hiatus thingies. But I think it's about time this story comes to a close. Kinda goes back and forth with POVs, I'll try to make it obvious but I apologize if it's confusing. For all of you who thought it was over...well it basically is. This is just spare stuff, plus I gotta thank everyone who read this! You guys are all awesome for even clicking on this, by the way. So, yeah. Here we go.**

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"Cole?"

"Yes, that's right. Cole Tanenbaum."

His name was Cole. Wolf repeated it, listening as it rolled off his tongue. "Cole Tanenbaum." He glanced back at the deserted building where he had been held captive for one of the most confusing weeks of his life. Then he looked down at his claws, still spotted with the dried blood of the – as of recently - very dead Cole Tanenbaum.

Beside the lupine, Fox nodded to the officer who they had been speaking to. "Thank you," he said, and the officer walked away. He gaze turned to the old building, now swarming with officials. The two canines watched the barely-conscious General Pepper being carted past them. The dirt on which they stood was littered with various official-looking vehicles, and countless times they had been questioned. The main concern seemed to be whether their sanities were in check.

For the moment, neither had a clear answer.

"He called himself X?" Fox smirked, kicking at the dust. "Bullshit." He glanced over at Wolf, catching depression and confusion in the lupine's tired face. "You alright?" he asked.

Wolf's head snapped up from his paws, blinking as though he had been asleep. "Hm? Oh, uh, yeah," he mumbled, looking back down.

Fox shook his head. "That was possibly the worst lie I've ever heard." His head still faced Wolf, but his eyes wandered back to the building. "Look, Wolf, I know how tough it is to-"

The vulpine was cut off, however, as anger flashed into Wolf's eyes. He snarled, snatching up a large stone from the ground. It was slightly larger than the lupine's hand. Wolf let out a spine-tingling growl, then pulled his arm back, ready to throw.

Fox's eyes widened at Wolf's random action. He snatched the rock from Wolf's paw, tossing it a few feet away. "Wolf," Fox said steadily. "You could hit someone. There's no point in wasting your energy on a dead cause."

The weariness returned to Wolf's lavender eyes. He sighed, as though a huge weight was wrapped to his shoulders. "I know," he said in a low tone. Then, just as quickly as he picked up the rock, Wolf was on the ground. His fingers were intertwined, pushing down on his neck. He brought his knees to his chest. "But at the same time, I don't. I don't know, Fox!" His voice grew louder, and a group of passing medics stared as they walked by.

Fox rolled his eyes, offering his hand. "Need help?" he asked. Wolf nodded, putting one of his paws into Fox's. The smaller canine pulled the other to his feet. "You," Fox raised his eyebrows, pointing at Wolf's face, "need some serious therapy." An involuntary smile broke across his face for a moment; Wolf O'Donnell was the last person he pictured getting that emotional.

Wolf's eyes narrowed at the vulpine. "Shut up," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He looked around at all the people entering and exiting the building, and sighed. Everything was still so surreal to him, it felt like walking onto the set of a movie.

The sound of engines in the sky interrupted his chain of thought, as both canines looked up. Fox grinned at the sight of a familiar, blue-accented jet. Wolf's expression mirrored the vulpine's as he saw a similar red-winged jet descend towards the ground. Both ships landed simultaneously, and Wolf and Fox felt relief spread over them. Soon, this would be behind them.

Fox took a step forward, but Wolf grabbed onto his arm. "Wait," he said. Fox turned, listening to the lupine. "I just have a question." Wolf's volume dropped as he continued. "How do you do it? Why are you not afraid?"

Fox was silent for a moment. He had never really considered the question, and it him some time to compose an answer. Finally, he spoke, choosing his words carefully.

"I am afraid. I am always afraid. Afraid of what I do, who I am, and what kind of consequences every action I make will have. But time has a way of teaching. I do what I do regardless of my fears, because any fear can be overcome. And after a while, you realize that this applies to anything you're afraid of. There's no way to hide from fear, it is always there. Over the past week we saw it in tangible form, whether it was under a pseudonym, or a reproduction of personal horrors we both have endured. And yet, we're still standing. That's because we couldn't let our fear overcome us. And we didn't. We survived, because when fear challenged us, we fought back."

Wolf said nothing after Fox spoke, though it was obvious there was something moving in the back of his mind. He opened his mouth, but it took awhile for words to come out of it. "You know," he said, "I really don't think I need that therapy anymore. Because you're right." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Wow. That must be why everyone likes you." A grin stretched over his muzzle.

Fox chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Well, I wouldn't say that," he said with a smile of his own. "I'm sure all those guys I've shot down disagree."

Wolf smiled a bit wider. Then he looked at his ship. "Well, I best be off," he said.

Fox nodded. "Definitely. I've had enough fun here," he said, walking towards his ship. Wolf walked beside him, but the canines split as each went to their respected ship.

Before boarding, Fox glanced once more at Wolf. He saw the lupine looking back at him. He gave the lupine a nod and a small wave, then entered the ship. He grinned at Falco, who was waiting onboard, and the two shared a brotherly hug before the ship climbed back into the sky.

Wolf watched the ship go, still with a smile on his face. Right before he went onto his own ship, where Leon was waiting, he whispered something. The words were barely audible, but as he felt the wind blowing around him, he had a strange feeling Fox would know what he said.

"Thank you, Fox McCloud."

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**Wow. It's over. This feels so strange.**

**Oh, wait. No it's not. I gotta thank people! =)**

**To all reviewers: You guys are awesome. I think it's pretty incredible people even read this story, so I was blown away by how many people review it! Your input was so helpful, and you all helped make this story what it is.**

**KrzyKrnK: Dude, you rock. From the beginning you were reviewing, helping me out and all that fun stuff. You're a kickass writer and an even more kickass friend. EVERYONE GO READ HIS STORY, KRISIS, RIGHT NOW. Seriously. And also read everything of his, cuz it owns.**

**Foxkong, Metallic Soul, and JVnemesis: So, I'm obviously the sappy one here. Meaning this might be a bit sappy. Oh well. You guys are awesome. You've helped me so much, and all of you are talented, amazing people. In your own special ways =) You guys are the true driving force behind this writing, and I couldn't be more thankful to FK for introducing me in the first place. This one's for you.**

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"_Life for you's been less than kind,_

_so take a number, stand in line._

_We've all been sorry, we've all been hurt,_

_but how we survive is what makes us who we are."_

_-Survive  
Rise Against_


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